Responsible for You
by Hatori No Miko
Summary: During a chilly winter's day, Hatori found a girl at his doorstep and took her in. When she woke up, she remembered nothing apart from the past year from the life she had led. Little did he know, the girl held the key to the animal curse that befell the Soumas. And, why did Hatori feel so fiercely protective over someone he had just met? [Hatori x OC]
1. Prologue

_There was a legend passed down in generations of the a particular race living in the sky…the seahorse is the young of the dragon, and when it is strong enough to grow up and mature, it will become a real, full-grown dragon and rise to the sky…_

 _Another legend also believed in was that the snow was the tears of siblings, forced to separate from each other in a series of ill-fated events…and when it melts after a long period of snow, it symbolizes that the siblings can finally reunite, and love and support each other once more…_

The wind was chilling to her bones, and she struggled to keep her consciousness.

 _I must get away, as far as possible away from Master…_ the girl thought desperately.

Alone she walked, clad only in a thin cloak, which was unable to protect her from the freezing winter frost. Finally, she gave up, and collapsed in the front of a house that was near the hills.


	2. Chapter 1

A year had passed since the zodiac animals curse was lifted from the Souma family. Now that they were free from the curse, Akito has no more power to exert over them. The result - Yuki, Kyou, and all the gang refused to stay in the same house with Akito anymore and moved out of the main house. However, being the kind-hearted people they were, Yuki, Kyou and the others did not punish Akito for the evil deeds he had done. However, they avoid having anything to do with Akito if they can help it. Akito, powerless but still filled with vengeance and hatred, had no choice but to live alone in the main house. Now, Kyou and Tohru are officially a couple, Yuki and Hatsuharu chose to remain single and all of them live together with Shigure in his house peacefully. Possibly, Hatori would be the only one still acquainted with Akito, for his doctor ethics forbade him to leave Akito to die of his illness just because of his personal grudges, and Akito would come and find him for treatment regularly.

It was a fateful and chilly winter morning. As usual, Hatori Souma opens his door and begins sweeping out the snow away from his doorsteps as he does everyday. However, today he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Curiously, he walked towards the bundle on the road in front of his house. He bent down and started to examine the 'thing'. To his surprise, he found that the 'thing' was actually a girl, wrapped in a thin coarse cloak and clad only in a thin yukata.

The girl's face was deathly pale, and her lips were colourless. However, there were still some signs of life, as she was still breathing and Hatori could see mist coming out of her slightly opened mouth. His doctor instincts immediately commanded him to bring this girl into his house and try to restore life to her. He gently carried the girl into his house and placed her on his bed. He removed the wet robe and shawl and proceeded to cover her with his doctor coat, the best garment he could find to warm the girl. Then, he went to light the fire, so that the girl could get some warmth.

As the fire crackled and spit out little sparks of flame, Hatori got himself a chair and sat down beside the girl. He took a close look at her face. The girl was about 15-16 years of age and has brownish-black hair at shoulder length. Unsatisfied, Hatori took a glance at the rest of the girl's figure, which was hidden under the blankets. To his horror, he saw that the girl's body was covered with several minor cuts and bruises. He wondered if the girl had fallen down from the top of the hill, as he had not seen this girl before, despite all the years he had lived in this place.

Hatori replaced the blanket and went to get his doctor apparatus. He listened to the heartbeat of the girl, which was quite normal and measured her temperature, which came close to 38 degrees Celsius. He felt the forehead of the girl, and found that it was burning hot. He quickly took a piece of wet towel and placed it on top of the girl's head. Suddenly, Hatori heard a soft growling, which came from his own stomach. Only then, he realized that he had forgotten his breakfast in the midst of the surprise of finding a mysterious girl in front of his house.

Getting up, Hatori went to his kitchen, made himself a cup of coffee, and got a bowl of cereals to satisfy his hunger. While eating his breakfast, he mooned over the girl: Who was she, where did she came from and what to do with her. Evidently, he would consider her as his patient, and he felt it his duty to treat this girl to perfect health before doing anything else. Hatori felt relieved after he had made up his mind. As it was not one of his workdays, he stayed at home, relaxing and watching television, and did a check on the girl who was still unconscious occasionally. He lived alone, and rarely socialized with people other than his cousins.

Now, a mysterious girl had just shown up on his doorstep, and he quite fancied the idea of having somebody to live with him, even if it was only for a short period of time. Hatori went to examine the girl again. She was breathing normally, but her face was still pale, and her lips were white. He stared at her for a long time, trying to pinpoint the feeling that was overwhelming him at that instant. He felt grief and sorrow rushing over him and enveloping his heart, although the girl was motionless. Besides, he had an impression that he knew this girl, even if this was surely the first time he met her. The sensation of déjà vu came over him, and he suddenly felt very protective towards the girl, as if he himself was born just to protect this girl.

Two days had passed, and the girl remained unconscious. Hatori had no choice but to go to work that day. He woke up early in the morning, had his breakfast and prepared to get off to work. However, before he left, he did another check on the girl, found that she was still unconscious but in a stable condition, locked the door securely and drove to his clinic that was a few miles away. Arriving at his clinic, his nurse greeted him and he replied with a curt nod, as the cool doctor he always is. He started to work with an air of coolness around him. However, he was a professional doctor, and beneath his cool demeanour, he is actually a kind and compassionate person. Hatori was the town doctor, and all the townspeople liked and respected him, and always came to find him whenever they were not feeling well.

That day, he closed the clinic earlier because he wanted to get the appropriate medicine for his special patient at home. He took some medicine to reduce fever and some flu remedies in case they were needed. After that, he got into his car and drove back to his home. When he walked into his house, he saw that the girl was already awake and was trying to sit up on the bed. Hatori quickly put down all his things and hurried to the girl.

"Now, don't try to move around yet, young lady. You are still quite weak," and he settled her down back on the bed.

The girl obeyed his instructions without any hesitation. Now that she had opened her eyes, Hatori noticed that her eyes were a dark hazel, which matched her hair. He could see that the girl was still trying to get accustomed to her new surroundings. She looked around her until she set her eyes on Hatori's face. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Not giving up, she tried again and her question came out in a whisper, "Where am I?"

Hatori smiled as he had already anticipated this question and the questions that would follow. However, he does not want the girl to over-exert herself by asking too much questions, and told her everything he knew with a warm smile. "You are in my house now. I found you outside my house a few days ago with just a thin robe and shawl. Other than that, I believe I don't know anything else. Now, would you kindly enlighten me to as who you are?"

The girl's eyes widened slightly; she did not expected to be treated in this friendly manner by a stranger. However, she smiled weakly as she answered, "Um…I'm Yukina-Rei Jia or Yukina for short."

Hatori then said with a kind look in his eyes, "Ah, Yukina-chan. Can you tell me where you came from, as I have no recollection of seeing you before?"

To his astonishment, Yukina's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Hatori became quite disconcerted and quickly took out his handkerchief to wipe away the tears on her face. "Please don't cry, Yukina-chan. It will damage your body more. Now, calm down and tell me what happened,"

Yukina quickly got a grip of herself and said in a tearful voice, "Actually, I am running away from my master who lives some ten miles away. He treated me very badly and even abused me whenever he likes it," Speaking until now, she pulled up the sleeves of Hatori's coat which she was wearing, and Hatori could see the cuts and bruises he had observed before this. "This was made by him. When he was in a bad mood, he will tie me up and beat me. He even locks me up in a dark cellar and whips me whenever he likes it." At this point, Yukina was already sobbing as she recollected the horrifying memories she had lived through.

Hatori was stunned. To think that somebody could do this to a young innocent girl like Yukina - that person must be a monster. However, he was still puzzled about Yukina's background. "So, who are your parents? Moreover, why do you have a master? What's his name?"

He was surprised at himself for asking so many questions in a row, but Yukina answered, "I never knew my parents. I have no recollection of my life until a year ago because I had lost my memories. The only thing I know is my name and that I'm about sixteen years old. Therefore, the only memories I have would be the one year I had led with my master. He told me that he had picked me up somewhere. He will not let me know his name, for his own secrecy."

Hatori could feel himself boiling inside. The 'master' was not a fool. He knew how to prevent himself from being caught if Yukina ever got the chance to escape from him, which she did.

Hatori then looked at the sobbing girl in front of him, and his heart ached with sympathy. On impulse, he leaned forward on his chair and hugged Yukina, with her face buried inside his clothes. Yukina's eyes grew wide, for she had never experienced this kind of warm feeling that Hatori had brought to her before.

"Yukina-chan, I know it's hard for you, but try to forget all these unhappy memories. You should begin a new life here with me, and I promise to protect you, and make you happy always."

Yukina was surprised, and she asked, "Why are you treating me so nicely, when you have never known me before?"

Hatori grinned and replied, "Well, have you heard of a saying before? When somebody saves another person's life, he is automatically responsible for that person. So, I'm taking responsibility for you, Yukina." Then, Hatori took some medicine that he had brought back from his clinic and gave Yukina a few spoonfuls of it. "Swallow it down, now, and get well," Hatori told her with a big warm smile.

Yukina stared up at him with her large brown eyes. She had never been treated so kindly before by anyone else in her whole life, not that she remembered much of it. In the past year, she had just been abused and tormented by her master and never knew the meaning of happiness. Now, she had just been rescued by this stranger who said that he would take care of her.

However, her thoughts were interrupted, as Hatori continued, "Here, let me introduce myself. I'm Hatori Souma, and I work as a doctor in a clinic nearby. Oh right, do you mind if I sleep together with you? I think we both will be able to fit inside this king-sized bed."

Yukina was a little startled, for she did not expect this question, "Huh?" Hatori tilted his head and looked down on her with kindly eyes, "Don't worry, I had promised not to hurt you in any way, right?"

Yukina regained her composure and smiled, "Umm…I did not mean it that way, I'm just not used to being treated in this friendly way." Hatori chuckled and said, "Well, you just have to get used to it then." He then took up the covers of the bed and crept into the bed. Suddenly, he leaned over and put his palm on Yukina's forehead. "Good, your fever is reducing. Make sure you get a good night's sleep now, eh?" And Hatori pulled up the blankets and went straight to sleep.

However, Yukina just laid on the bed, with her thoughts roaming around aimlessly. She was quite baffled, as she had never dreamed of getting such good treatment from other people. In the one year she had lived with her master, all she had experienced everyday was unkind words, beating, tying her up without food, and forcing her to do his every bidding. It had been such a hard decision to make when she finally chose to escape from this living hell. And suddenly, it was a change of environment, and the biggest change of all is that the person who rescued her – Hatori. Compared to her former master, he was like a god.

Her thoughts flitted back to a few hours ago, when she first opened her eyes. The first human she saw was none other than Hatori, who was so kind and gentle to her. The first time she stared into his olive green eyes, she was mesmerized by the soft light that was found inside them. It was filled with such warmth that made Yukina felt that she is loved, something she had never imagined that she could feel before. And when he hugged her just now, she was filled with such happiness and pleasure, somehow like a puppy's feeling when it is praised or petted by its master. She had felt this way because she does not know what actually the feeling of love between men and women is.

She then turned her head to look at Hatori, who was sleeping soundly. She marvelled at the sight she saw. Hatori was sleeping, facing her with such a peaceful expression on his face that he seemed to have no worries in the whole wide world. His face was smooth, and even while he was sleeping, his lips will curve up a bit as if he was smiling slightly. Her eyes were shining with adoration towards Hatori, "Hatori-sama…" Yukina suddenly became aware that in her heart, she has regarded Hatori as the person who now owned her.

She then turned back to stare at the ceiling, until she felt drowsy and drowsier, and she sank into a deep sleep. In her dream, she saw her master again, who was chasing after her and holding a steel chain in his hands.

Yukina heard him say in a cold heartless voice, "There's no need to run, Yukina. No matter where you go, I will always be able to find you in the end." After hearing this, her fears increased and she ran faster and faster. Suddenly, her legs were caught against something on the ground and she tripped over. She could hear her master getting closer and closer and the air is filled with his mirthless laughter that chilled her to her very bones. She tried her utmost best to get up and escape but her legs betrayed her. Unable to do anything, she screamed as loudly as she could, "HELP! ANYONE! Please help me! Don't let him get to me!"

Immediately, the lights flickered on and Hatori's voice could be heard distinctly. "Yukina! What happened?" After his eyes were accustomed to the light, he could see Yukina writhing, thrashing and tossing around on the bed as if she was struggling to get away from something. He leaped onto the bed and pressed Yukina down to prevent her from accidentally hurting herself. Yukina felt the weight of his body and opened her eyes. Hatori saw that her eyes were wild with fear and terror. He could also feel her body trembling incessantly. However, when she realized that it was Hatori, she slowly began to calm down a little, though she could not stop her body from shaking.

She heard Hatori's voice again, speaking to her quickly and urgently, "Yukina, calm down before you hurt yourself, can you hear me?" She tried to respond, but her throat was dry, so she just nodded weakly. Hatori was relieved and went to fetch a glass of water for her. After drinking the water, Yukina felt much better and turned to look at Hatori, who was watching her with his eyebrows furrowed and the smile which was usually on his face had disappeared. Her heart gave a leap, for she thought she had angered him by waking him up in the middle of the night.

She opened her mouth to apologise, "Sorry, Hatori-sama…" but her words was cut short by him. "Don't talk now, Yukina-chan. Take some time to cool off." Yukina obeyed him, but her eyes filled with tears as she assumed that he was annoyed with her.

Hatori noticed Yukina's expression and thought that her nightmare still affected her. He felt that it was better to let her calm down first, so he did not say anything, but continued gazing at her in the same way as just now. Poor Yukina misunderstood Hatori's frown and thought that it was intended for her. She could not bear the thought of offending the person she loved like a faithful puppy love its master. She tried to control herself but failed, and she burst into heart-wrenching sobs.

Hatori could not stand to see Yukina like this, and his heart ached with sympathy and pain. He clasped Yukina into his arms and held her close to his chest, and let her pour out all her grief and sorrow. Yukina was very surprised, and suddenly stopped crying. In her young innocent mind, she thought that Hatori was angry with her; but in reality, Hatori's fury was directed to Yukina's master, who to him must be the Satan itself to be able to affect a young girl so deeply and intensely.

Yukina was puzzled, as she still believed that Hatori was displeased with her, and stared up at him with wide-open eyes. Hatori was murmuring to her in a soft and gentle tone, "Its okay, Yukina. I'm here to protect you, and he won't be able to get to you when you are with me."

Both of them were in sitting positions on the bed, and Hatori was still holding Yukina in his arms. Yukina mustered her courage and finally dared to ask him, "Hatori-sama…Aren't you angry at me?"

Hatori heard the question and was baffled. "I'm angry at you? Why?" Yukina hesitated a little, but replied, "Well, I disturbed you in your sleep, so I thought you might be annoyed…" and fixed her timid gaze on him once more, trying to discern his expression at that time.

It took some time for Hatori to catch on Yukina's words, but once he understood, he knew her reaction was due to the experience she had with her 'master'. He suddenly became conscious that Yukina had been addressing him as 'Hatori-sama' since she woke up from her nightmare. Hatori was somewhat relieved as he observed that Yukina was all right. He smiled wryly as he thought about Yukina's referring to him as her master.

He then looked at the girl who was still in his arms, and said, "Yukina-chan, I have many things to say to you, but first, let us sit in a more comfortable position, do you agree?" Dumbfounded, Yukina could only nod, and all the while, her thoughts raced about wildly: Is Hatori-sama going to punish me? Is he going to kick me out of the house? At this point, she gave a small shiver when she thought of leaving the place that seemed like heaven.

On the other hand, Hatori was busy settling both of them down properly on the bed. His strong arms carried Yukina up effortlessly, and he leaned against the wall, while placing Yukina on his lap, so that they formed something like an 'L' shape on the bed. Then, he placed one arm around Yukina's shoulders and the other was used to balance them both, if necessary. Yukina's expression was one of wonder and surprise as she stared at Hatori. He interpreted the look correctly and gave her a big smile.

Hatori then pulled Yukina closer and started to speak in a firm but gentle voice, "Firstly, I'm not your master, so drop the 'sama' when you are calling me. Just plain Hatori is enough."

Yukina's mind was still in a blur, and she could not understand Hatori's words. "Huh?" Hatori sighed and cupped Yukina's face between his hands, "I said, I don't own you, and you are free to go whenever you please. However, as a doctor, I'm quite obliged to take care of you until you are healthy again. When that happens, you can choose to either go somewhere else or stay here, though I prefer the latter. Understand me clearly now?"

It took Yukina some time to digest all that he told her, and when she finished, she looked at Hatori with shining eyes. "You mean I can really stay here, and you are not going to punish me, Hatori-sama, I mean Hatori." She added hurriedly.

Hatori could not explain it, but he was very happy when he saw Yukina so delighted. "Did you forget what I have said to you before? Once I have saved you, you will become my responsibility. However, I won't force you to stay with me if it's against your wish."

He was surprised when Yukina suddenly flung herself into his arms, crying out, "Thank you so much, Hatori. I won't leave unless you tell me to, I promise." Hatori raised his eyebrows in surprise and hugged Yukina back tightly, "Is that so? Then it would be the best for both of us, ne?"

Yukina buried her face into Hatori's chest and nodded happily. "Well, Yukina-chan, let's go to sleep now," and he laid Yukina gently down on the bed and both of them resumed their sleep, with Yukina lying in Hatori's arms with a smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 2

The following day, it was dawn and the room was dimly lit. Yukina slowly opened her eyes. Suddenly, she was aware of something warm which was very close to her. Instinctively, she shrank back with fear, but quickly calmed down when she realised that it was Hatori, who was still fast asleep with his strong arms around her. Yukina lied there, recalling the things that happened last night.

In her heart, she was full of gratefulness to Hatori, who was not only her saviour, but also somebody who had given her happiness, which was unknown to her before. She gently detached Hatori's arms away from her body as not to wake him up. She silently got down from the bed and took a good look around her. However, she forgot that she was still ill and weak, and she had not walk a few steps before her legs crumpled under her. She fell against the bed and this produced a loud noise. Her head felt dizzy and her knee, which hit the bed, was excruciatingly painful. Unable to help herself, Yukina whimpered softly, a sound that nevertheless woke Hatori up immediately.

He leaped up of his bed and sprang to Yukina's side. Then, he gently carried Yukina up to his bed again, taking care not to hurt her. When he was done, he folded his arms and looked down at Yukina with a disapproving expression. "You are such a naughty girl, Yukina-chan. You are still ill, and shouldn't move around. Just tell me if you need anything, okay?"

Yukina was still a little dizzy, and she answered by nodding weakly. Sighing, Hatori sat down by the side of the bed and held Yukina's hands in his own. "Are you feeling better today after a night's sleep?" Yukina managed a small smile as she answered "Yes."

Then, Hatori removed his coat from Yukina and went to take a set of medicine and his first aid kit. He gave Yukina some medicine for her fever and began to examine the cuts and bruises on her body. He checked her body for any internal wounds, but found none.

Satisfied, he took some iodine and carefully dabbed it on the cuts on her arms and legs. "It will sting a bit, but please endure it, Yukina-chan." After he finished, he tenderly massaged the bruises on her knees, which she got when she fell down just now. Then, he asked Yukina, "Do you have any wounds that I don't know about?" Yukina shook her head. Hatori smiled, "Good. Now, rest a bit as I prepare breakfast," and he covered Yukina up with blankets.

After a while, the smell of tea and cheese spread out of the kitchen. Wearing just a plain shirt and shorts, Hatori came out with two trays of food. He placed them on a maple table and went to carry Yukina to the table. However, Yukina refused to be treated like an invalid and she insisted on walking to the table herself. Eventually, after a series of limping and hobbling, she made her way to the table slowly with the help of Hatori.

Then, they started eating, with Hatori was observing Yukina secretly. Although she was young, her eating manners were immaculate. He deduced that Yukina might not have forgotten everything she knew. To prove this, after they finished eating he asked, "Yukina-chan, do you know how to read and write?"

With a puzzled expression, she replied, "Yes. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to know if you had forgotten everything."

The puzzled expression on Yukina's face changed to one of seriousness. "I had been wondering about that too. It seems that I still remember how to write, speak, listen, and read and all these basic knowledge. In other words, the only memories I have lost are those of my past. I only remember the one year with…him and these few days with you…" and her voice trailed off.

Hatori continued asking, "Then, your name…Yukina. Was it your original name or it was given to you by…somebody else?" he refrained from saying the words 'your master' in time, in order not to bring back the horrible recollections of that evil person.

Yukina started as though she suddenly remembered something, which she really did. She reached into the folds of her clothes, which consisted of a beige old-looking yukata and produced a piece of card that looked like an identity card. Hatori reached for it and studied it.

On the card, there was her name spelled in block YUKINA-REI JIA A.R., her birth date, which was the 3rd of June, and some words written in Chinese characters. He recognized some as kanji, but he had not seen the other characters before. He looked up at Yukina and looked at her intently. "If I'm not wrong, you are Japanese-Chinese, judging by your name and looks. By the way, what does A.R. stand for?" Yukina shrugged and glanced at Hatori, "Umm…I have no idea."

After that, Hatori returned the card to Yukina and stood up. He gathered the trays of food and went to clean them up. After filling her stomach, which had been empty for days, Yukina felt much stronger. She now had enough energy to walk and made her way to the kitchen. There, she saw Hatori washing the cups and dishes and smiled.

It was an amusing sight; Hatori might be a professional doctor, but he was quite hopeless in domestic matters. The sound of her tinkling laughter startled Hatori, and he nearly dropped the plate he was cleaning. "You must have been eating out all your life, am I correct, Hatori?" He turned to grin at her. "You are an observant girl. Actually, this is the first time I had cooked in months. Did you find it hard to eat?" She smiled mischievously back at him, "It's quite acceptable, for a man like you."

Suddenly, Hatori noticed that Yukina had become more cheerful and lively compared to her previous self, which was a change for the better. His eyes gleamed, and he challenged Yukina, "Well, if you think you can do better than me, go ahead and try to cook something."

Refusing to back down from a challenge, Yukina nodded and stated, "You have to go to work, right? When you come back, you will find a most irresistible dinner, which I cooked." Hatori narrowed his eyes at her, "What if I don't?" She pondered over this for a while, "Well, if I lose, you can do anything you like to me."

He turned to face her properly and looked down at her, noticing that she was about a head shorter than he was.

"Anything?"

"Yes, _anything._ " She affirmed with a nod of her head.

Acting on impulse, Hatori bent down and leaned forward until their noses almost brushed against each other. "I will be looking forward to it, Yukina." Yukina had just been aware that he did not call her 'Yukina-chan' as usual, but just 'Yukina' when Hatori bade goodbye by giving her a kiss on the cheek. This was the first time Yukina ever been kissed by anybody, and she was dazed and remained in the same spot until the sound of Hatori's car's engine faded away.

Then, she gently touched the spot where Hatori kissed her, and it felt like her skin was burning. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind and began to reprimand herself silently. "Idiot, it was just a goodbye kiss, and nothing more. Anyway, a grown man like him will not fall for such a young girl like you."

However, despite herself, she could not stop thinking of that kiss Hatori gave her. At that moment, although she did not realise it, she had undergo a psychological change brought by the sympathetic and kind Hatori.

On the other hand, Hatori was also astonished that he actually _kissed_ Yukina, although it was only on the cheek. Nonetheless, he could not help marvelling at the softness and smoothness of her skin. He thought about the expression that his relatives and friends would have if they had seen him just now and chuckled.

Everybody knows that Hatori was not a person who shows his feelings easily, even if it is only for a short while. Yukina was the only one who had witness this phenomenon by being directly involved in it. He was pleased when he reflected back on the moment that just passed. Yukina did not hesitate when she agreed to the bets of their 'contest', which was, he could do anything to her if she loses. Clearly, Yukina has faith in Hatori, and trusts that he will not harm her in any way.

His thoughts flitted back to a few days ago, when he had found Yukina in the streets. His instincts told him that he must save this girl, no matter at what cost. He did not think of it this way, but to an onlooker, they were lucky to have found each other.

Hatori was the one who saved Yukina, and took responsibility for her well-being and happiness. On the other hand, Yukina was like a bright ray of sunshine, bringing light to Hatori's otherwise dreary life, and had made him smile and laugh more than he did in weeks.

He arrived at his clinic, startling everybody who saw him, because he was wearing a wide smile on his face. In normal circumstances, one would expect the cats to grow horns before expecting him to smile. However, he had Yukina now, and the promise of going back home with a nice warm dinner together pleased him immensely.

Suddenly, a voice startled him out of his thoughts. "Wow, even the Ice King is smiling today. I wonder if the sun will come out from the west tomorrow?" and a grinning face appeared before Hatori.

Hatori snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the person with an expressionless face. "The sun won't come out from the west, but you are going to be hanging from the ceiling half dead if you surprise me like that ever again, Shigure.

The man called Shigure did not take notice of his change in manner but continued, "Aww, come on, Hatori. Can't I come and visit my own cousin sometimes?" and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. Sighing, Hatori shook his head at Shigure, "You never change, do you, Shigure?" Shigure pulled a silly face at him and then made a gesture to the door. "Look who's coming too."

At that time, a man with long white hair came sweeping in Hatori's office, where he rests in when there are no patients. "HATORI! Don't you look cheerful today?" Groaning, Hatori retorted wearily, "Can't a man have a good rest when he's not working? By the way, why are the _two_ of you here?" Shigure replied with a goofy smile on his face, "Well, as Ayame and I are on vacation today, we decided to visit you here and join you for dinner later. Is that okay with you, Hatori?"

Frowning, Hatori answered, "Why would you want to join me for dinner? You two know pretty well that I can't cook a decent meal." In his heart, he was wondering if these two were telepathic, as they seem to work together to annoy him effectively. Furthermore, why in heaven's name would they choose today, of all days to request to dine with him, when he has Yukina at home?

However, after pondering over the consequences for a while, he finally agreed to invite Shigure and Ayame to his house, feeling that it would be good for Yukina to meet more people and open up more. "Okay, come to my house by seven tonight. There's somebody I want you to meet, but a word of warning, no funny tricks on her, understand?"

Then, Hatori wished that he had bitten off his own tongue instead, for the two cousins of his were whooping and clapping like a couple of maniacs, making noise enough to wake the dead. "Ooh, Hatori has a girlfriend! I would have never thought it possible!" This was from Shigure who was doubling up with laughter. On the other hand, Ayame was shooting questions at him with the speed of a machine-gun. "Oh, you have a girlfriend? Who is she? Where did she come from? Is she pretty? How did you know each other?"

Hatori felt his patience running thin. Finally, he lost control and took both of the chortling men by the collar, and banged their heads together. The two collapsed to the floor in a heap, still weak with laughter. "There's nothing of the sort. She is merely a sixteen-year-old girl. Now, get out of here, you two. I still have loads of work to do."

The two cousins of Hatori got hold of themselves and made their way out of the room, with Shigure still laughing his infamous laugh, which seems to last forever. Echoes of "Goodbye, Hatori-kun!", "Meet you tonight for dinner!" reached Hatori's ears and then faded away.

At last, the room was quiet again. Hatori heaved a sigh and reached for the telephone. He placed a call to his own home and notified Yukina to prepare dinner, not for two, but four. He was comforted by the voice of Yukina, which sounded as sweet as ever even on the phone. She agreed readily to the idea of having guests for dinner.

The time passed very slowly for Hatori, who was full with anticipation for the upcoming dinner, although Shigure and Ayame might unnerve Yukina with their overfriendliness. However, he was not worried that they might harm Yukina, because they were actually kind and caring people at heart, just that they might annoy Hatori sometimes with their idiotic antics.

At home, Yukina was already busy preparing the dinner for all of them, pushing the memory of Hatori's kiss to the very back of her mind. She could not explain how she got the knowledge of cooking, but it was already embedded deep in her soul. She opened Hatori's fridge and was pleased to find that she had everything she needed in it.

After a short while, the kitchen was filled with the pleasant smell of cooking cheese and chicken. She finished all the dishes she planned to cook one by one and served it on the table, complete with the appropriate garnishes. The food served were fried chicken with cheese, mixed vegetables, steamed crab with chilli, miso soup and fruit ice cream for dessert.

Just as she finished, she heard the doorbell ring. Guessing that it must be Hatori's guests, she hurriedly washed her hands and went to answer the bell. When she opened the door, what she saw was two tall men, one with dark hair and another with long white hair, peering into the house with the utmost interest, hands full of sake bottles.

Yukina felt nervous but greeted them with a smile, "Hi. You must be Hatori's friends, right? Please come in to sit for a while. He will be back soon." Then, she showed both of them into the house, all the while silently appraising them.

After all three of them sat down, the dark-haired man first broke the silence by exclaiming, "Wow! What a mouth-watering smell! I can't wait to start eating!" He took a few big sniffs of the air and rubbed his hands together gleefully. Then he whirled on Yukina, and extended his hand. "Oh, where are my manners! I'm Shigure Souma, and" here he made a gesture to the other man, "this is Ayame Souma. Nice to meet you, Miss…"

His sudden change of topic disconcerted Yukina but she graciously introduced herself. "I'm Yukina-Rei Jia, or you can call me Yukina for short." Then, she drew a sharp breath as something dawned on her. "You are Shigure and Ayame Souma? So, you must be…"

The white-haired man introduced as Ayame got off the couch and gave Shigure a whack on the head, "Stop sniffing around, Shigure-kun. I can't believe that you are still acting like a dog!" and he turned to smile warmly at Yukina.

"Yukina-chan, am I right? Well, Hatori, I and this guy here," he gave a poke at Shigure, "We are all cousins born in the same year, but we look very different, don't you think so?" Yukina smiled back and nodded shyly, but in her heart she could not agree with Ayame more.

Shigure was observing Yukina silently but with interest. He felt that this girl looked extraordinarily familiar, like somebody known for a very long time, but he could not recognize her. He desired to be more acquainted with Yukina, and continued chatting with her. "Say, Yukina-chan, you were the one who prepared dinner, right? Where did you learn how to cook so well? Even the scent of the food is enchanting enough, and beats the so-called top restaurants flat." Yukina hesitated, not knowing how to reply him, as she did not know the answer herself.

The sound of a car revving up the driveway saved Yukina from answering. She excused herself and hurried to open the door for Hatori. Nonetheless, both Shigure and Ayame had noticed her uncertainty in answering, and they both felt a little suspicious. Hatori smiled warmly at Yukina as he stepped out of the car, but it turned into a slight frown when he saw the two extra pair of shoes that belonged to his cousins. He planned to be present when Yukina first met Ayame and Shigure, for he was afraid that they might accidentally upset Yukina, or trigger her painful memories. However, he was relieved as he saw that Yukina was smiling back at him.

He walked into his house and greeted Yukina with a wry smile, "I see that you have met my cousins, Ayame and Shigure." He then touched Yukina's arm gently, "How are you feeling, Yukina-chan?" Yukina could sense his concern for her, and was touched. "I'm fine, Hatori. Now, would you come in and enjoy the dinner I prepared?" Hatori smirked and shook a finger at Yukina, "I hope you put your best in the cooking, because all of us are famous for our good taste in food. And, don't forget about the bet we made in the morning." Yukina did not reply, but just poked her tongue at him cutely.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted their conversation. "Hey! Would you two lovebirds hurry up and come in? I'm positively drooling over this food!" This was from Shigure, who was intent on teasing Hatori. Yukina heard it and blushed, causing a faint tinge of pink to appear on her cheeks. Hatori noticed it and laid a hand on Yukina's shoulders.

"Don't worry, Yukina-chan. He is just joking, being the clown he always was." Then, both of them went into the house to see Ayame and Shigure staring at them with smirks on their faces. Hatori turned to Yukina, "Would you please go and make me a glass of fruit juice? And, make some for yourself too."

His intentions were to keep Yukina occupied as he wished to make things clear to his cousins, who were currently gazing at him with questioning faces. Yukina nodded her consent and skipped light-heartedly to the kitchen, happy that Hatori was home. The three grownups then sat down on the leather couch. All of them were well aware of Hatori's purpose in asking Yukina to make fruit juice.

Shigure first broke the silence by asking in an undertone as not to be overheard, "Hatori, who is that girl, and why do I have a feeling that I have seen her somewhere before?" Ayame chipped in, "Yes, I have that feeling too, like we have known each other even before we were born." As briefly and softly as he could manage, Hatori narrated everything that happened in the two days he met Yukina. He also told them about Yukina's 'master'. After hearing his story, both Shigure and Ayame were overcome with sympathy and sadness at Yukina's suffering.

Shigure then narrowed his eyes, being unusually serious. "You know, apart from feeling that I know her, she also reminds me of somebody." Two pairs of eyebrow were raised, and Hatori asked, "Who?" Shigure cast his eyes down and replied, "Our little cousin and Ayame's brother, Yuki."

There was a sharp intake of breath as the familiarity and similarities between Yuki and Yukina strike Hatori like a big blow in the face – the same marks of abuse, the same wide-eyed fear, and the same feeling of pity for them. His thoughts drifted back to when Akito had power over the Soumas, and constantly abused and tormented Yuki.

However, Yuki is free from Akito now, and is living happily with Kyou, Hatsuharu and Tohru in Shigure's house, while Yukina still lives under the shadow of her master. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the memories, which was flooding back with full speed. He then reminded his cousins, "Yukina-chan has just recovered from her sickness, and does not remember her own past. Therefore, she might be unused to the ways of society and might seem a little strange. I hope you will forgive her if she does anything to offend you, and please don't say anything that could remind her of her master."

Ayame and Shigure nodded gravely. "We will be sure to do that, Hatori-kun. She is such a nice, cute girl that I won't hurt her for anything in the world." Hatori smiled, reassured, thinking that this was how he felt too, when he met Yukina for the first time.

Just then, Yukina came out of the kitchen, holding a tray of fruit juices in her hands. She handed them one by one to Hatori, Ayame and Shigure, who thanked her with a big warm smile. Shigure then hit Hatori on the back, so hard that he almost choked on his drink.

"Well then, Hatori-kun, now that you are back, can we start eating dinner?" Hatori just shook his head at Shigure's childishness, but he was inwardly grateful for his warmness and friendliness will be able to aid Yukina in adjusting to the new life of hers. All of them made their way to the dining room, where Hatori and Yukina have had their breakfast. Hatori could feel his jaws dropping open as he saw the food served on the table. Each of them looked like a professional chef cooked them. Whiffs of the delicious scent of the food escaped from the plates and went into their nostrils, enticing them to start digging into the dishes laid before them.

Yukina then arranged the plates and cutlery neatly, and invited all of them to start eating. All four of them sat down at the table, and began to dine. All the way throughout the dinner, Shigure and Ayame chatted incessantly with Hatori and Yukina. Yukina was intelligent, and charmed Shigure and Ayame with her knowledge of all the topics that they were interested in, although how she got that knowledge, like her cooking, still baffled all of them, as they knew that before she came here, she had been trapped with her master for a year.

However, Shigure, being the observant novelist, had noticed that Yukina was shy and reserved in answering questions directed to her, especially those that were remotely personal. He could also see a shadow in her eyes, like the one he saw previously in Yuki's eyes, although she had smiled and laughed along with the others, and concluded that the memories of her 'master' still affected her deeply.

However, he believed that Yukina would not show her true emotions because she wanted everybody to be happy and not to worry about her, and he admired her for it. Once, Ayame had teased Hatori for his poor cooking, and asked Yukina, "Yukina-chan, you must have tried his cooking before right? How bad did you think it was, compared to yours?"

Yukina was not used to their way of joking around, and hesitated for a long time. Hatori noticed her uneasiness, and could have hit himself for forgetting to remind them. He patted Yukina's head and reassured her in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, Yukina. Ayame is just joking. They are good people, although their way of talking might be very strange sometimes. Anyway, it's a good thing that I can't cook, so that you can cook for me now, right?" Yukina heard it, and was relieved. She smiled shyly, "I know. I'm sure any relatives of Hatori-san must be nice, kind people like him." Then, she looked at Hatori with eyes full of adoration.

Ayame chuckled, and replied to her statement, "Oh, I won't be too sure about that…" and he would have told Yukina about Akito had not Hatori shot him a warning glance. He cut himself off quickly, and Shigure continued his sentence so that Yukina will not suspect anything, "We are _not_ nice people, Yukina-chan. Our hobby is to annoy Hatori until he gets a migraine, or gets so pissed off that he wallops us and kicks us out of the door."

Until now, Yukina was already accustomed to their way of telling jokes, and laughed along with the rest. Hatori was relieved at Shigure's fast thinking, and said with a mocking sigh, "Yukina-chan, see how pitiful I am, having this two men as cousins." Shigure's eyes went wide, as he had not heard Hatori tell a joke before, however remotely funny, in his whole life. "Looks like this girl is beginning to have a good effect on him," he mused inwardly, and he rejoiced at his cousin's change of character.

By that time, they had finished all the food on the table, and Shigure was practically licking the plates clean. Ayame, always the elegant and sophisticated one, started to scold Shigure again. "Oh my, Shigure-kun, stop acting like a dog now! You never change your old habits, do you?" Then, he cut off abruptly, realising that he had almost exposed their old secret. However, Shigure was doing some fast thinking, and decided that there was no harm in telling Yukina about the curse, which had been lifted from them; especially that he had an instinct that Yukina was somehow connected to the Souma family.

He gave Hatori a confident smile, and started to tell Yukina about the zodiac animals' curse that affected the Soumas quite a while ago. All the while, Hatori was watching Shigure with narrowed eyes, wondering if Shigure was sober or somehow intoxicated. He related that he himself was the dog, which explains the comments about his sniffing, and licking, Ayame was the snake and Hatori was the dragon, although he transforms into a seahorse instead. He also told her about the other Soumas with the curse. Yukina listened to all this with the utmost attention, and did not show any signs of disbelief. At last, Shigure finished the story by narrating how the curse was lifted. After that, he cocked his head at Yukina, and asked, "Did you believe my story, Yukina-chan?"

"Well, yes, Shigure-san. You don't have any reason to lie to me, so why should I doubt you?" she said matter-of-factly. Shigure smiled warmly at her, although he was amazed at the girl's readiness in accepting new things, which might seem unbelievable to others. Then, Yukina asked shyly, "Umm… so the curse is lifted thoroughly or there are still some effects on the people affected?"

Again, Yukina's shrewdness left Shigure astounded. Three pairs of eyes were on him, waiting for an answer. "Actually, some of us are still affected by the curse slightly." Then, his gaze turned to rest on Hatori, "I came here today to tell you about it, Hatori-kun."

Shigure did not wait for a reply as he continued seriously, "I have been doing some observing, and I realized that we still have the tendency to transform, especially when we are weak in body." At that moment, Ayame chipped in, "Yes, I still turn into a snake, particularly now that it's winter."

Shigure resumed, "Moreover, Haru still tends to go black sometimes, which should not have been as the curse is gone. Maybe we are only assuming that the curse is gone, while only a fraction of it had been lifted. Besides, Yuki turned into a rat last time, when he got caught in the rain and was down with flu." Hatori scratched his chin thoughtfully, and was lost in contemplation. "You mean that only a part of the curse had been lifted, and we must find a way to destroy the curse, once and for all?" Shigure nodded gravely.

Suddenly, Shigure detected that the serious atmosphere was beginning to affect Yukina, and the shadow in her eyes became darker, making her look to the observant, beyond her age, indeed, so matured that she seemed to be carrying the burden of the world on her shoulders. He then looked meaningfully at Hatori, who had just noted the change in Yukina's expression.

Hatori stood up and placed both his hands on Yukina's shoulders. "Come on, Yukina. You have just recovered from your illness, and should not over-exert yourself by staying up too late."

He was just going to put Yukina in bed when Shigure interrupted, "Ah, Yukina-chan, would you like to come and stay in my house for a few days together with Hatori-kun starting from tomorrow? It would be good for you to mix around with more people your age, like Yuki, Kyou, Tohru and Haru."

Yukina could not decide whether to agree to this idea, and looked at Hatori inquiringly. Hatori smiled gratefully at Shigure, and replied, "That's a good idea, Yukina-chan. You should get to know more people around, and they are nice, friendly people. However, you can't go tomorrow." Shigure frowned a little at this, and enquired, "Why not?"

Hatori smirked at Yukina as he replied, "Well, I lost the bet to you, so I'm going to bring you for a walk around town tomorrow, Yukina-chan." Then, he shooed Yukina off to bed, ensuring that she was well asleep before returning to chat with his cousins.

When he got back to the dining table, Shigure was fixing his eyes on him with a look of interest. "Seems like the girl has a positive effect on you, Hatori-kun, even more than I thought possible." Hatori glared at him, although he had become aware of it himself. "Cut the crap, Shigure."

His tone did not affect Shigure and he poked Hatori in the ribs playfully. Shigure suddenly turned solemn, and lowered his voice, "Is it just me, or do you think that Yukina-chan might be somehow connected with the Souma family?" Hatori said seriously, "Yes…it's funny how all of us feel that we have met her somewhere, sometime in the past. Moreover, it is not possible that all three of us felt that, but could not remember exactly whom she was. We are not so old as to have forgotten something like that."

Ayame, who had been silent during the conversation, opened his mouth, "Indeed, I'm sure that I won't forget a face like hers. It's such a pity that she has lost her memories, or else she might be helpful in lifting the curse completely from us." His words brought an impact on Hatori.

"Would Yukina-chan possibly be related to the curse? Anyway, I have been longing to tell you guys for a long time about something." Here, he paused a moment to draw his breath, "The first time I saw her, I had stared at her for a long time, trying to remember where I had seen her before unsuccessfully. I felt very protective, as if I was born just to protect her. Besides, I had a strong feeling of grief and sadness although nothing actually happened."

Shigure then said thoughtfully, "I see, she really might be connected to our family. Then, it's a good thing to bring her around town; maybe she will regain some of her memories." In that instant, Shigure reverted to his normal self as he gave Hatori a nudge. "She's really a good match for you though, pal." Hatori glared once again and retorted, "She is just a young girl, and I'm not a pervert like you, Shigure." Shigure did not answer but just made a face at Hatori.

After that, he leaped off his chair and went to get the bottles of sake that he had brought. "Want to have some sake, Hatori-kun?" Hatori narrowed his eyes at Shigure and said, "You _do_ know that sake is bad for your health, why not stop drinking it?"

Shigure poured himself a glass of the wine as he answered cheerfully, "Looks like the grumpy old doctor is back in true form now. Maybe I should wake Yukina-chan up to let her work her charm on you…" and he chuckled like a lunatic. Hatori scowled and retorted, "Shut up, moron. You might wake her up, do you know that?" Shigure pretended to cover up his mouth and act scared. "Yes sir, we won't want to wake your dear Yukina-chan up now, right?"

Hatori checked himself and tried to prevent himself from blowing up there and then. He immediately regained his coolness as he realised with a jolt that he might have feelings for Yukina, although both of them might not know it. Shigure was observing his cousin all the time, and he was quite correct in guessing the internal conflict running in Hatori's thoughts right now. He decided that it was best now to leave the problem for both Yukina and Hatori to sort out. However, he planned to interfere if he sees that Hatori was still plagued by the past, and does not have the courage to start a new relationship with Yukina.

Shigure stood up and said to Hatori, "Well, it's getting late and I should leave now. By the way, please help me thank Yukina-chan for the lovely dinner just now. Goodbye, Hatori-kun."

Hatori got up too, and gave Shigure a quiet smile as he said, "Bye, Shigure, and thanks for everything that you did today."

Shigure gave a glance at the general direction of where Yukina was, and replied, "Nah, anyone would do anything in their power for that girl. Besides, like you, I also felt it my duty to help her in any way I can." The two grown men then turned to look at Ayame, who was fast asleep on the table, and had transformed into a white snake.

Hatori murmured, "It was true after all, we still might transform into animals…" Shigure patted his shoulder reassuringly and said, "Don't worry, Hatori-kun. I have a doggy instinct that we can solve all this with the appearance of Yukina-chan. We just have to be patient." Hatori did not reply to this but went to fetch a basket. He then handed the basket over to Shigure, who raised his eyebrows.

Hatori smirked and said, "Take it. It's for you to carry _him_ ," and he gestured to Ayame. Shigure was amused, "Oh, I see," and he placed the sleeping snake into the basket and closed it firmly. "Goodbye, Hatori-kun, and enjoy your day tomorrow." Then, he carried the basket and returned to his home. Hatori, suppressing a yawn, locked the doors securely and went to bed.


	4. Chapter 3

The next morning, Yukina woke up early and stole a peek at Hatori, who was still fast asleep. She studied his face interestedly and blushed suddenly, for she realised with a jolt that Hatori was a stunningly handsome man to look at, even while he was asleep. His chest heaved up and down slightly when he was breathing.

All of a sudden, Hatori grunted and wrapped his arms around Yukina and pulled her close to him. Yukina was too surprised to do anything but stare at Hatori wonderingly. Apparently, he was still sleeping soundly. Her mind went completely blank and she could not feel anything but the warmth of Hatori's body. Unwilling to interrupt this precious moment, Yukina gently wrapped her arms around Hatori and snuggled deeper into his arms.

After an hour, Hatori awoke and found Yukina buried deep in his arms. Hatori's lips curved into a slight smile and could not resist from stroking her soft hair. He gazed at her for a long time and suddenly tightened his lips. He reprimanded himself silently, "This girl is absolutely off limits, Hatori. You are too old for her." He looked down at the sleeping girl again and tried to work out the reason why he was so attracted to her. Yukina was not outstandingly pretty, but she had a natural charm that reached out to everybody who sees her. Besides, she is adorably cute, and has an innocence, which touches the heart of all. Hatori's desire to protect her and make her happy grew stronger than ever.

Hatori went on staring at Yukina for quite a while until he remembered that he had planned to bring Yukina out that day. Seeing that she was still snuggled happily in his arms, he smiled and reached his hand out to pat her cheek caressingly. Slowly, Yukina's eyes flickered open and she stared at Hatori blurrily. Seeing her cute sleepy face, Hatori's smile became wider in spite of himself and he said, "Yukina-chan, it's time to wake up," and ruffled her hair softly. At that, Yukina immediately woke up and pouted at Hatori. "Hey, don't you go treating me like a child now. I'm already sixteen you know," and she poked her tongue out at Hatori.

Hatori could not resist the urge to poke more fun at her and he said, "Yes…Yes…Yukina-chan. I know that you are _only_ sixteen years old." "Hmph," Yukina folded her arms peevishly and turned to face the wall, leaving Hatori to stare at her back.

Hatori had never seen Yukina affronted before, and every fresh aspect of her made him delighted. He decided that he had enough with teasing her, and he rolled Yukina back to facing him using his toes. Hatori feigned a pitiful look and said, "I'm sorry, Yukina-chan, please forgive me. As a token of apology, I will bring you anywhere you want to go today."

At this, Yukina brightened up instantly and asked, "Really?" Hatori nodded and said firmly, "Yes, Yukina-chan. However, you must wake up and get ready before I can bring you anywhere." Yukina's eyes sparkled, "Yes, sir," and did a mock salute. Hatori stared at her, wondering how she changed her emotions so quickly. She half-danced into the bathroom and soon the sound of splashing water was heard. However, Hatori was happy to see that she is behaving more as a girl her age should be, instead of the timid, fearful girl he saw a few days ago. He made a resolution to make this day a thoroughly enjoyable day for her, and for both of them, if possible.

Suddenly, Yukina's head poked out of the door and she said, "Umm…Hatori, do you have any clothes I can fit into? I'm afraid that I don't have any clothes left…" and her cheeks went scarlet. Her antics amused Hatori and he went to search for some clothes for Yukina. At last, he found one and handed it over to Yukina, who voiced a muffled "Thanks" through the bathroom door. After a short while, Yukina walked out of the bathroom, dressed in Hatori's old shirt and pants, which were hanging loosely from her body frame, as Hatori was quite tall and muscular.

Hatori heard her footsteps and turned around to look at Yukina, who was still dripping water and holding her old yukata in her hands. She was always a source of amusement to Hatori, who had never seen anyone as cute and special as Yukina. Smiling, Hatori said to Yukina, "Did you forget how to bathe? Anyway, I think you should dry yourself and throw your old clothes away. Our first stop will be Ayame's clothes shop, then. Now, please wait a moment as I get washed up, Yukina-chan." After that, he went to get ready for the upcoming tour around town.

Yukina did as Hatori told her to, and sat down on the bed while waiting for Hatori to finish. She took a good look around Hatori's house, which had only one floor. However, the house was big and wide. The fireplace was lit, and the bedroom, which was connected to the bathroom, was cosy and comfortable. There were few furnishings on the wall, which was painted with a delightful lime green. She was wondering how Hatori's garden would look in spring, when Hatori walked out of the bathroom. Hearing his feet treading on the floor, she turned her head to look at Hatori.

At that instant, her face heated up and turned as red as a tomato. Hatori had wrapped the lower part of his body with a towel and was not wearing anything underneath. Consequently, Yukina found herself staring at Hatori's bare chest, which was quite well built and hairless. Hatori saw her look and quickly apologised, "Sorry, Yukina-chan. I was used to living alone, so I normally don't come out of the bathroom in my clothes…"

Face still red, Yukina put her thumb into her mouth and bowed, "It's okay, Hatori. Umm…I don't mind it, actually. I was just not used to…well…seeing men undressed." Shaking his head at Yukina's innocence, Hatori hastily got dressed and wiped himself dry.

"Well then," Hatori said, "Yukina-chan, let's get started with today's trip." He led Yukina into the car and started the engine. Then, he glanced at Yukina, "Remember having ridden a car before?" Yukina shook her head. Hatori leaned over and fastened her seatbelt for her, saying as he did so, "In any case, you must make sure you have securely tightened the seatbelt." After that, Hatori drove to their first destination, which was Ayame's shop.

As they reached, Yukina could see the sign hung high up in front of Ayame's shop, which said "Ayame's Fashion Boutique- for All Your Dressing Needs". Both of them then made their way into the shop, where Ayame warmly greeted them. Hatori said, "Please find some clothes for Yukina, as she has none." Ayame nodded with a grin, "Sure, I will be delighted, Hatori-kun."

He began with measuring her size, and noting her hair, eyes and skin colour. After a long while, Ayame brought out about fifteen sets of clothes that comprised of all kinds of clothing. Yukina's eyes went wide, and she said hurriedly, "Umm…I don't need so many, Ayame-san. Two or three sets of clothes will do." Ayame beamed and reassured her, "Don't worry, Yukina-chan. This, this and this," he gestured to a few pieces of clothes, "would be my welcoming gift to you, and Hatori-kun will pay for the rest. Anyway, now that we are better acquainted, you should not address me so formally, don't you think so?"

Flustered, Yukina began, "Oh…but…" she was interrupted by Hatori, who smiled pleasantly at her and said teasingly, "Never mind, Yukina-chan…I can afford all these. Anyway, you _do_ need clothes, don't you?" Yukina reddened as she recollected seeing Hatori without clothes that morning.

Ayame clapped his hands, "Now that it's all settled, would you pick your favourite among these and change into them now rather than wearing Hatori's shirt, Yukina-chan?" Yukina blushed slightly and quickly began to surf through the pile of clothes laid in front of her. At last, she chose a purple blouse with a matching scarf, together with a plaited skirt. She went into the changing room and changed into her new clothes, while Hatori surveyed the clothes that Ayame had chosen for Yukina. He pointed towards them and frowned a little at Ayame.

"Aren't you forgetting something? It's winter and you should prepare something warmer, Ayame." Ayame clasped his hands together and said, "Oh right. I forgot about the winter clothes. I will go and get them now, Hatori-kun."

Ayame did as he said and at that moment, Yukina came out of the changing room in her new clothes, looking every bit the cute, charming girl she is. The sight of her in her new clothes, smiling shyly at Hatori, left him unable to do anything but gape at her. Yukina grew quite uneasy under his scrutinising look and asked softly, "How do I look, Hatori?" Her voice jolted Hatori from his reverie and he replied with a warm smile.

"I think you look very lovely, Yukina-chan. Now, would you wait a moment as Ayame is choosing a winter coat for you? You might easily catch a cold just wearing this." Yukina nodded and sat down beside Hatori, her eyes gazing at the rest of the shop, which contained all kinds of clothes with different designs and colours.

At last, Ayame came out with a thick warm fur coat and handed it over to Hatori. Hatori examined it for a while and nodded approvingly. Then, he gave the coat to Yukina, "Wear it, Yukina-chan. This will keep you warm." Yukina put on the coat and instantly felt warm all over. Subsequently, both of them thanked Ayame and departed from the shop to continue on their journey.

Afterwards, Hatori drove his car to a hypermarket and parked his car there. Then, he walked to the other side of his car to open the door for Yukina, who was fumbling with the lock and the seatbelt. At last, Hatori managed to get Yukina out of the car and it was the most natural thing for him to hold her hand as they walked into the hypermarket together. Hatori brought Yukina to the women's department and asked her to buy the things she needs. It was quite a hard job to convey it to Yukina without any embarrassment, and after he finished, both their faces were red. Hatori gave her some money and instructed her to wait for him at that spot after she finished, while he will go and purchase other necessary items. After an hour or so, both of them had finished their business and they left the hypermarket, with their hands laden with shopping bags.

At that time, it was already past noon. Hatori took a glance at Yukina, who was beside him in the car and was staring out of the window with a faraway look in her eyes. He smiled slightly and asked her, "Yukina-chan, what would you like to eat? There are a number of nice restaurants around here." Yukina snapped out of her thoughts and answered hesitatingly, "Umm…I'm not familiar with this place…so would you make the decision, Hatori?"

Hatori considered for a moment, and got a sudden inspiration. "Well then, but I will keep the place a secret from you until we reach there." Yukina did a mock pout at him and continued to stare out the window silently. Hatori could not help but wonder what was in her mind, and whether this trip will be too exhausting for her. He observed Yukina for a moment, and concluded that she was fine; maybe she was just trying to see if she had known these places before.

Finally, they reached the destination, which was a café located beside a lake. Hatori led Yukina down form the car and into the café. The owner of the café, a plump, smiling old woman, came out and greeted them enthusiastically. "What a pleasure to have you in my humble place, Hatori-san. By the way, who might this sweet young lady be?" and she pointed towards Yukina, who bowed shyly as a gesture of greeting. Hatori smiled and introduced, "Miko-san, this is Yukina, and Yukina-chan, this kind woman is Miko, who bakes the best cakes in town, or I might say, the whole state."

The woman, now known as Miko, laughed heartily and said, "You are flattering me as usual, Hatori-san. Anyway, it's good to see that you have a girlfriend now, after being single all these years and breaking all the young girls' hearts out there." Hatori smiled a little, but he did not try to deny his relationship with Yukina, who was blushing self-consciously. Instead, he took Yukina's hand and both of them went into the café.

Once they got to the inside of the café, they caught whiffs of the appetizing scent of cakes. Hatori sneaked a glance at Yukina, whose face was still red as the result of Miko's misunderstanding of their relationship. Miko ushered them to a table for two, and began to take their orders. Hatori smiled at Yukina and asked, "What would you like to order, Yukina-chan?"

Yukina stared at the menu for a long time and could not make up her mind between all the kinds of cake. Suddenly, a word caught her eye. Yukina pointed towards the menu and asked Miko curiously, "What kind of cake is 'Freestyle', Miko-san?" Miko grinned and shot a look towards Hatori, who smiled again.

"Yukina-chan, 'Freestyle' is Miko-san's specialty. She will make a different cake for the customers based on her instincts. Would you like to try it?" Yukina was interested as she had never heard of this kind of service before, and she nodded happily.

As the owner bustled around in the kitchen to prepare their orders, Hatori looked at Yukina again. She felt his eyes on her and flushed again. Hatori could sense her shyness and decided to make her feel comfortable again, even if he was not honest to himself. "Yukina-chan, about just now…Miko-san just had a misunderstanding of our relationship. Besides, she had been pestering me to get a girlfriend for ages and could not resist commenting when she saw both of us together. So, please don't feel ill at ease, okay?" Hatori said gently. Yukina raised her eyes to him and smiled timidly, "Umm…I don't mind it, actually. They can just say what they want, right?"

Hatori was relieved and a little depressed at the same time. On the other hand, Yukina was longing to tell Hatori that she felt something different, which she could not understand herself, for him. However, she did not have the courage to do it, as she regarded Hatori as something like a god, and she felt she did not deserve somebody as noble and superior as him.

Their conversation was interrupted as Miko came out of the kitchen balancing a tray of cake, drinks and for some reason, a cup of ice cream. She laid all the food down on the table and said, "Here's your order, Yukina-san, Hatori-san. By the way, the ice cream is my treat for the both of you. I hope you will enjoy your meal," and she got back to being busy around the shop. Both Yukina and Hatori stared at the cake she made for them with a mystified expression. The cake was pink in colour and was made in a shape of a heart. On it was the words 'Hatori-Yukina-forever'. Spontaneously, both of them grinned knowingly at each other.

After that, Hatori took up his knife and spoon and Yukina did the same. Yukina showed reluctance to eat the cake, making Hatori glance at her questioningly. "Is there anything wrong, Yukina-chan?" he asked. Yukina shook her head and smiled, "No, it's just that I'm quite unwilling to spoil such a beautiful cake." Hearing that, Hatori chuckled and said, "It's not a problem at all. If you like it, I can bring you here anytime you want to. Furthermore, Miko-san would think that you don't like her cake if you don't start eating, Yukina-chan." Then, Hatori took Yukina's hands in his own. "Would you do the honours of cutting the cake? I'm quite curious to see what Miko-san put inside it."

Yukina nodded and held the knife in her hands. Suddenly she looked pleadingly at Hatori, who was watching her cautiously in case she accidentally hurt herself. "Hatori, how am I going to divide the cake? It seems so sad to cut it into halves, because it will resemble a broken heart then." Hatori was amused and could not help smirking.

"Is that shat you are worried about, Yukina-chan? Don't worry; I will cut it in such a way that the heart is still whole." Then he started 'sawing' the cake into half so that the cake, which was originally in a heart shape, became two hearts with half of the original height. Yukina was staring at his actions with wide-open eyes, amazed at Hatori's ingenuity. At last, Hatori finished separating the cake into two, and began to serve himself and Yukina.

Unknown to them, Miko was watching them from where she was, smiling and musing to herself as to what a nice couple Hatori and Yukina made. On the other hand, both Hatori and Yukina were enjoying themselves immensely, eating the cake Miko made, and the romantic atmosphere of the café too was a delightful pleasure to both of them. Hatori noted that the faraway look in Yukina's eyes had disappeared, replaced with a tranquil happy light, and rejoiced at her change for the better. Finally, they finished their cakes and turned their attention towards the ice cream, and lastly, the drinks.

After satisfying their stomachs, Hatori and Yukina bade their goodbyes to Miko, and thanked her again for the enjoyable meal they had. Hatori held Yukina's hand and led the way to their next destination. Eventually, both of them arrived at the lake, which was just beside the café. It was quiet and peaceful at the lake, as it was frozen and covered with ice. Hatori glanced at the girl who was silently watching the scenery, mesmerised by the beauty of it. At this moment, her eyes contained a deep, unspeakable sorrow, so sad that Hatori longed to clasp her into his arms, and replace the sadness in her eyes with joy she deserved to have, more than anyone else.

However, his inner voice spoke again. "You know that you cannot possibly own her, Hatori. She is so young and sweet, and you are just a sombre, dull doctor who had been dumped once." He growled, angry at being reminded of the painful experience years ago. The sound of him startled Yukina, and she asked, "What's wrong, Hatori?" Hatori then realised that he had spoken aloud, and smiled gently at Yukina. "Oh no, it's nothing, Yukina-chan. Anyway, what are you thinking of?"

Yukina's eyes became wider; she had not expected such a question. Her hand reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, and she replied, "I was just thinking what a beautiful place this is, Hatori." Hatori looked at her, noticing that her hair had fallen into wisps around her face, making her look all the more enticing to him. He trembled a bit, afraid that he might not be able to control his feelings. Hatori clenched his fists, and spoke in his normal voice again. "Yukina-chan, I think it's time to return home, ne?"

Yukina saw him clenching his fists and wondered what was on his mind. However, she did not think it necessary to question him, as he will tell her when he is ready to do so. She nodded obediently and followed him back to the car, where Hatori stopped for a moment. He looked tenderly at Yukina, who was not able to remove her eyes from his captivating glance and she looked at him with timid, unsure eyes. In her mind, she knew that her heart had already belonged to him; the only problem was that she did not have the courage to admit it.

It was hard for Hatori to prevent himself from confessing his feelings to her there and then. Suddenly, he remembered something, then took something from his coat and handed it over to Yukina. "Here, this is a present for you, Yukina-chan."

Yukina reached for it shyly, wondering what exactly it could be. The gift was placed inside a small exquisite box, tied in ribbons. Her delicate fingers removed the ribbons tentatively, afraid of spoiling the gift. As she uncovered the gift, she gave a small gasp of shock. Inside the box was the prettiest necklace she had ever seen, with a simple but captivating design.

Hatori was delighted when he saw Yukina's reaction. He had bought the necklace on impulse while Yukina was inside the hypermarket, feeling that it was just perfect for her. To his surprise, Yukina's eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. He turned to face her, looking at her with eyes full of concern.

"What's the matter, Yukina-chan? Don't you like the necklace?" Yukina shook her head, tears flowing down her face.

She then looked up at Hatori, eyes full of gratitude. "No, Hatori…it's just that…nobody has ever given me such a wonderful present before." Unable to help herself, she flung herself into Hatori's arms, which opened up to embrace her in time. He enfolded her in his arms tightly, so tight that there seemed to be no room left in between their bodies. Both of them felt their bodies heating up, not because of the thick clothes they were wearing, but because of each other.

Hatori then stroked Yukina's hair tenderly and caressingly, all the while murmuring, "Please don't cry, Yukina. I can't bear to see tears staining your pretty face. If anyone deserves it, surely it is you. Here, let me put on the necklace for you," and he fastened the clasp of the necklace around her neck.

From inside Hatori's arms, Yukina stared up at him, unsure and apprehensive. Suddenly, she felt something cold on her face and was startled. In fact, Hatori was trailing a long finger down her face, gently wiping away her tears.

"Well, accept it as a token of my thanks for the dinner you cooked last night, Yukina-chan," said Hatori softly. "Anyway, did you enjoy today's day out?"

Yukina was incapable of saying anything, and she nodded fervently, all the while clinging to Hatori tightly. Reluctantly, the two of them separated. Then, Hatori patted Yukina's head soothingly, and gently guided her into the car.

Both Hatori and Yukina were silent throughout the whole trip home, minds occupied with each other, but too afraid to admit it.

At last, they arrived at their home, and Yukina, being a fast learner, had no trouble getting out of the car. Hatori observed it with satisfaction, happy that Yukina is intelligent, having all kinds of knowledge, proved when Shigure and Ayame came for dinner. Hatori smiled at Yukina, who was cheerful and quite feisty after reaching home.

"Yukina-chan, I think you should go and pack the things you need, for we are going to stay a few days at Shigure's place," Hatori reminded Yukina.

Yukina sucked her thumb cutely. "I heard Shigure said something about some other teenagers living together with him…who are they?"

Hatori then realised that he should inform her about the few teenagers before they went to Shigure's house, so that she would be better prepared.

"There are four people living together with Shigure, Yukina-chan. Among them, three are my cousins and one is their friend. First, there is Kyou Souma, who is the cat; you would know him by his flaming orange hair. His girlfriend, Tohru Honda is their friend I was telling you. Next, the rat, Yuki Souma is the one with silvery-grey hair. Kyou, Honda, and Yuki, all of them are seventeen. The last one is Hatsuharu Souma or Haru, who has white and black hair, and is sixteen years old."

Yukina heard all this and was rather interested. "How can Haru-san have white and black hair at the same time?"

Hatori chuckled, "Oh, I forgot to mention that Haru is the cow. So, his hair is all white on top, and the inner layer is black," his tone became more serious here, "Yukina-chan, you must remember something. Never ever go near Haru when you are alone, understand?"

"Why, Hatori?" Yukina asked, perplexed.

"This is also caused by the animal curse. You see, in the story the cow was tricked by the rat into giving him a free ride. When Haru was small, people often teased him mercilessly about it. As a result, he would suddenly flare up and become very furious. Until now, he would still get into one of his tempers unexpectedly. When he is normal and nice, we refer to him as 'White Haru'. However, when he turns evil and angry, we call him 'Black Haru'. Furthermore, I can't know when he is going to turn black or white, so it's better for you not to be with him alone."

All the while, Yukina was listening attentively. "If it is your desire, I promise not to go near Haru-san when nobody else is present," she agreed obediently.

Relieved, Hatori gave Yukina a push. "Well, you should go and pack your things now, Yukina-chan, and go to bed early, for you have had a long day out."

Yukina did as Hatori said and finished packing in a few minutes. At the same time, Hatori was preparing for the stay over too. After the both of them had finished, they went to bed together. It was quite a sight to see them sleeping together, for Yukina was not shy to cuddle up to Hatori, and he reciprocated by wrapping his arms around her body.

On the other hand, Shigure was also 'briefing' Kyou, Tohru, Yuki and Haru about the guest they would be receiving tomorrow. He told them most of the things he knew about Yukina, including her previous 'master', her painful experiences, and how Hatori found her and welcomed her into his house. However, Shigure left out the part about seeming to recognise Yukina, for he wanted to see their own reactions when they saw Yukina for themselves.

Other than that, Shigure also cautioned them to be careful when they are talking, and not say something that might remind Yukina of her dreadful past. Besides, Shigure asked them to tolerate Yukina, because she might behave a little strange compared to normal accepted behaviour. All the four teenagers are kind-hearted people, and they agreed readily to accept the task to make Yukina welcome in her new society, and adapt to it well. Besides, they also felt great pity after hearing the narration of her being abused and tortured, especially Yuki, who had undergone such experiences before, and he sympathised with Yukina deeply, although they might not have met each other.


	5. Chapter 4

The next morning, Hatori woke up to observe that both he and Yukina were tangled up with each other on the bed. He grinned, seeing that Yukina was in a deep sleep, curled up like a kitten and managing to get her legs entangled in his. He reached out a lazy hand and pinched Yukina's cheek softly. Immediately, her eyes flickered open, to see Hatori's face, smiling in front of her. Then, her lips curled up and she closed her eyes again, snuggling deeper into Hatori's arms.

Hatori sighed softly; Yukina was obviously not quite a morning person. He put his mouth very near to Yukina's ear and whispered, "Yukina-chan, you should wake up now. Shigure would be expecting us in a short while."

Slowly, Yukina opened her eyes again. "Oh right, I nearly forgot about that. Okay, I'm awake now," and she leapt down of the bed with surprising agility for one who had just woke up.

Hatori watched her run across the room and back again into the bathroom. He wondered a little whether it was too soon to let Yukina meet those few people. However, he had decided to do this, and the most he could do is to keep a close eye on Yukina while she was interacting with the others, especially Haru.

After a while, Yukina finished bathing and came out of the bathroom in an orange jumper, with a pair of long pants, and still wearing the necklace, which he gave her the day before. Seeing Yukina, Hatori could not help appreciating Ayame's taste in clothes, especially those he chose for Yukina.

"Yukina-chan, please wait for me for a moment while I get ready, then we will be going to Shigure's house," Hatori said to Yukina. She nodded and went to finish packing her small bag, which she would bring to Shigure's place.

In a short moment, Hatori and Yukina were in the car, with Hatori driving to their destination. Hatori smiled at Yukina, who was twisting her hair around her fingers with an air of nervousness.

"Yukina-chan, are you afraid to meet new people?"

She hesitated for an instant before replying, "Umm…to be frank, I'm quite nervous…"

"I see. If you are not feeling very comfortable, just tell me anytime. I'm sure they would be able to understand; all of them are nice, friendly kids," Hatori assured her.

At last, Hatori and Yukina reached Shigure's house, situated quite near to the forest. It was a double-storey country house, wide and spacious, with a large and beautiful garden. Slowly, Yukina got out of the car, carrying her small bag and looking around uncertainly.

Hatori saw her behaviour and hurried over to support her. "Yukina-chan, stay here as I go and get my things. Then, we will go into the house together," he said gently. After that, he took his own belongings from inside the car, and went back to Yukina's side. He took hold of her hand and led her into the country house.

All the youngsters were full of anticipation to meet their new 'guest', who had succeeded in doing the 'impossible' as put by Shigure, which was to put a smile on Hatori's face and make him laugh.

Currently, Kyou was resting on top of the roof together with Tohru while keeping a watch out for Hatori. At the same time, Haru was playing chess with Shigure in the garden, while Yuki was watching them. All of them heard Hatori's car and paused what they were doing, eager to meet the newcomer.

However, what they could see was only Hatori, hands quite full of bags, as he also brought some presents for the few of them. Haru was the first one to speak.

"Where is the girl you were going to bring along, Hatori-kun?"

It was then Hatori noticed that Yukina was not beside him. He smirked as he found out that she was hiding behind him, an easy feat as he was wearing a thick coat and was able to conceal her easily.

He soothingly placed a strong arm around Yukina's shoulders and pushed her forward gently. "Guys, I would like you to meet Yukina-chan."

A sharp intake of breath was heard from the three Soumas, namely Yuki, Kyou and Haru, as they experienced the same feeling Ayame and Shigure had – the startling jolt of recognition, but inability to tell for sure who she was.

On the other hand, Yukina was staring at them apprehensively and nervously, clinging to Hatori tightly as if she was afraid that he would suddenly disappear. All of them were quite astonished at the sight of her, as they had expected a pale, sickly girl. However, the person they saw was not in the least unattractive; in fact, she was cute and adorable, staring at them with timid, unsure eyes.

Yuki, being the sensitive one, noticed her uneasiness and felt sorry for her. He walked forward and extended his hand, "Hello, Yukina-chan, it's a pleasure to get to meet you. I am Yuki Souma."

With some difficulty, Yukina stretched out a trembling hand and shook Yuki's hand. "Nice to meet you too, Yuki-san." she said with a bow.

Kyou observed all this and decided to break the ice between all of them. He leapt down from the roof, surprising everyone and grinned at Yukina. "Hi there, Yukina-chan. There is no need to be formal with us as we are all about the same age. Just call me Kyou, and no more of the 'san', just address us as 'kun' or 'chan', and he gestured towards Tohru, who was beside him, "and this is my girlfriend, Tohru."

Yukina was startled to see the orange-head, who seemed to come down from the skies. However, she regained her composure as she recognised him as the cat, agile and nimble. "Umm…I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Kyou-kun, Tohru-chan."

Then, she saw a lad with white and black hair, and clad thoroughly in black. She deduced that the person is Haru, by the colour of his hair. Yukina noticed that he had pierced his ears, and was sporting two shiny metal earrings on one ear. Haru sauntered over to her lazily, and said with an air of arrogance, "I'm Haru, and no need for you to introduce yourself. I know you are Yukina, but have I seen you anywhere before, for you look a little familiar?"

Haru's brusque manner intimidated Yukina greatly, not to mention the amount of metal he had on his body. She turned to Hatori, who was frowning slightly at Haru, trying to discern whether he was the white or black personality.

Hatori glared at Haru, who was looking nonchalantly at the sky, "Haru, we need to talk," and in a gentle voice, "would you help me to take care of Yukina-chan for a while, Yuki?"

"Certainly, Hatori-kun, I will be glad to," Yuki replied. Then, he smiled warmly at Yukina, who was extremely reluctant to separate from Hatori, and was hanging on him tightly. Hatori gave her a small reassuring pat and nudged her to Yuki's direction.

"Would you please follow me, Yukina-chan? Don't worry, I won't hurt you in any way, I promise," Yuki knew the reason Hatori chose him to take care of Yukina, and was determined to make her feel welcome and at ease.

Yukina's eyes went wide at this; it was exactly what Hatori said before. Little by little, she developed a trust for the young man with silvery grey hair and violet eyes, who was smiling at her, and took his outstretched hand timidly.

Unknown to Yukina, Yuki was secretly appraising her. He was very curious to know where he might have met her before, and her identity. Yuki was certain that she did not come from the same school as his, and he had never knew anyone like her, for he would not forget such a face easily. So, why did he feel that he had known this girl for a long time? Yuki mused over this for a long time, and opted to ask the others whether they had the same feeling before asking Yukina any questions.

Looking at Yukina, Yuki suddenly had an urge to hold her in his arms, console her, and tell her everything he had lived through. He also felt that he would be the one who understood her the most, because they had the same experience. However, Yuki was aware that Yukina was far off worse than he is, as Yuki had his friends and family to support him now, but Yukina was alone, and, he realised with a jolt, not having a single strand of memory of her loved ones to give her courage to live on.

Yuki felt a new, powerful desire growing from deep inside him. He wanted to protect the girl he had just met, and make sure that there would not be tears on her face. Slowly, Yuki had led Yukina to where Shigure, Kyou and Tohru were.

"Ah, Yukina-chan, you finally got here. What took you such a long time?" upon noticing Yukina, Shigure bellowed, almost deafening all the teenagers present.

Yukina opened her mouth to answer, but Yuki was quicker to do it.

"It's nothing, Shigure-kun. I just took her for a stroll around the garden," he said softly.

Kyou was observing both of them with unconcealed interest. "So, rat, you have obviously taken an interest in our new friend, right?"

"Shut up, stupid cat," Yuki glowered and retorted.

"Now, now, don't fight in front of Yukina-chan. You might give her a scare," Shigure pretended to scold them with a hand on his side.

Not quite aware of what was happening, Yukina bowed towards Shigure and said, "Shigure-kun, thanks for inviting Hatori and me over."

"You are very welcome, Yukina-chan. This is my way of saying thanks for the wonderful dinner you cooked for us before. Even now, I still drool when I think of the food I ate," Shigure chuckled.

Embarrassed, Yukina blushed brightly, "Umm…you are just flattering me, Shigure-kun. My cooking is not that skilled yet…"

Shigure stood up suddenly and went to Yukina, "You are just being humble, Yukina-chan. Now, why don't you sit down together with us, and make friends with my dear cousins here?" and he gestured towards the youngsters.

Obediently, Yukina joined them at the small table, where Shigure was previously playing chess with Haru. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the Chinese chessboard, which Shigure noticed.

"Would you like to play Chinese chess with me, Yukina-chan? I am afraid Haru is going to get a long lecture from Hatori on his behaviour. However, you must be prepared, as I am the best player in the Soumas," Shigure said with a hint of challenge.

Shigure was delighted to see Yukina loosen up a little with them. Yuki, Kyou and Tohru were watching her intently; interested to know whether she would accept the challenge.

"I would be glad to be your opponent, Shigure-kun. But please be more lenient as I'm not quite a skilful player," Yukina said shyly.

Now, everybody's attention was attracted to the chessboard, where both Shigure and Yukina were arranging their pieces one by one. The atmosphere was filled with electric as the two players made their moves cautiously, unwilling to sacrifice even a piece of soldier.

All the while, Yuki was observing the progress of the chess game. Although Shigure was indeed the finest player in the family, Yukina was not losing either. So far, both players were showing equal talent, silently trying to checkmate the opponent.

All of a sudden, Yukina moved one of her soldiers and murmured, "Checkmate." Everyone at the table was taken aback, especially Shigure, as he had not foreseen nor imagined such a move. However, after confirming that every move is impossible, Shigure had to admit defeat.

"Yukina-chan, you are such a wizard at Chinese chess," Shigure complimented her, admiration evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I could not beat Shigure-kun even after years of trying," Kyou chipped in approvingly.

Yukina flushed, embarrassed. "I guess…I'm just lucky, Shigure-kun," she said softly.

Determined to make Yukina open up more, Shigure clapped his hands around her shoulders.

"Come on, Yukina-chan. There is no need to be shy around us. Every person here is thrilled to meet you, see?" he said jovially.

Yukina's face went even redder, and she nodded bashfully. She looked timidly around her, and saw Yuki, Kyou and Tohru smiling pleasantly at her.

"Why not come and chat with us, Yukina-chan? We are eager to know more about you and your past," Tohru invited with a big smile on her face. She was the only one who did not have the feeling that she recognises Yukina, and was attracted to the younger girl because of her adorable cuteness and revealed intelligence.

Yuki and Shigure drew their breath sharply, trying to stop Tohru from finishing her sentence, but they were too late. Yukina's eyes regained their wistful look, and the soft smile, which she previously had on her face, disappeared. They could not explain in words the expression on her face, but it was so poignant that it was breaking all their hearts.

"Tohru-san, I'm sorry that…I do not have anything worth knowing about," Yukina whispered, tears forming in her eyes in spite of herself.

Tohru realised that she had said the wrong thing, and she rebuked herself silently but severely.

"I'm very sorry, Yukina-chan. I did not mean to…" Tohru faltered, very regretful that she had opened her mouth before thinking twice.

Yuki could not bear to see her cry, and he stood up abruptly, surprising everyone and even himself. He took both of Yukina's hands in one of his, and sat down on the stone chair again, forcing her to do the same.

"Yukina-chan, I understand that you have a distressing past, but I hope that you can let go of it and enjoy your new life, together with Hatori-kun and us. Please remember, we are always here to support and encourage you. If you are willing, I wish to tell you a story of myself, which you might find quite similar to yours, but I had undergone less suffering than you…" Yuki said in a soft voice.

Shigure, Tohru, Kyou and Yuki himself was astonished at his behaviour. Before this, Yuki was an introvert, afraid of expressing his own feelings, but in front of Yukina, he was even willing to narrate his painful past, which he normally was disinclined from mentioning. However, Shigure stopped Yuki from continuing by laying a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Yuki-kun, I think you should wait until Hatori comes before deciding whether it is wise to tell your story to Yukina-chan. I know you are concerned about her, but the plan might backfire and make her more upset than she is now," Shigure said into his ear.

On the other hand, Yukina was busy with consoling Tohru, who was overly apologetic and remorseful.

"Don't worry, Tohru-san. It is nothing, really. I just overreacted, and I'm fine now, see?" and Yukina pasted a smile on her face.

Just then, Hatori approached the table with Haru tailing from behind. His eyes narrowed slightly, instantly detecting that something was amiss. A while ago, he was talking to Haru gravely after having ascertained that he was the black personality. Finally, Haru changed back to his normal kind self and Hatori allowed him to go and interact with Yukina.

However, Hatori noticed that Yukina's eyes were slightly watery, and the others were quite flustered. He strode over to Yukina, and held both her hands from her back gently.

"Did something happen while I was not here, Yukina-chan?"

Yukina was delighted to see Hatori again, even if they had only separated for a short while. She leaned against Hatori's strong form, enjoying his warmth.

"Nothing happened, Hatori. I had just finished playing chess with Shigure-kun," and she smiled radiantly at him, this time for real.

Everybody except Hatori, Yukina and Haru who had just arrived, dropped their jaws. There were two reasons for this. First, Yukina who seemed emotionally distant just a while ago suddenly turned cheerful and smiling.

Next, none of them had ever seen Hatori allowing anyone to be so close to him before, but Yukina was now cuddling up to him, and he was reciprocating by pulling her closer to him, in front of _everybody_. They were the very picture of a loving couple, showing their affection to each without worrying that anybody else might notice.

Shigure was the first one to regain his senses, as he had previously experienced Hatori and Yukina together.

"Ah, Hatori-kun, you are here at last. Welcome to my humble home, and I hope that you enjoy your stay here," he pretended to be formal, resulting in a hilarious effect on everyone.

The magic moment disappeared as Hatori and Yukina hurriedly pulled away from each other, embarrassed as everyone was staring at them.

"Yukina-chan, this is my last cousin living here, Hatsuharu, or Haru for short," Hatori pointed towards Haru, who was observing them interestedly.

Then, he came forward and gave Yukina a warm friendly smile.

"Hi, Yukina-chan. It's a pleasure to meet you. Sorry that I was rude just now, maybe I was in my black mood."

Yukina was gradually feeling relaxed and at ease now, as Hatori was present. She smiled back pleasantly at Haru.

"It's nice to meet you too, Haru-kun. There is no need to worry about me, as I am just not used to meeting new people. I hope I will get along well with all of you after a short while," she said cheerfully with an air of lovability and sweetness that charmed everybody instantly.

Yuki was amazed at the way Yukina's mood could change in such a short instant. However, he rejoiced, as Yukina was now her cheerful self, and the dark shadows that previously haunted her eyes had disappeared.

Hatori did not actually believe that nothing had happened as Yukina said, but he decided not to pursue the subject now. He grinned as he observed that Yukina had charmed every single one of his cousins and Tohru too, just like how she had charmed him, Shigure and Ayame earlier.

"Yukina-chan, let's go and unpack our things. I have some things to give to them too," and he gestured towards the youngsters.

Compliantly, Yukina nodded happily and bounced lightly to join Hatori. Both of them made their way into the house, leaving the rest to look at their backs.

"Yukina-chan is…amazing…" Yuki spoke this softly as if he was talking to himself. Nevertheless, Shigure heard his words and chuckled.

"You are absolutely correct there, Yuki-kun. Yukina-chan is amazing, especially in the way she transforms when Hatori-kun arrived just now," Shigure grinned as he recalled the moment. He looked around at the few teenagers living with him, wondering if they had the feeling that they knew Yukina.

Haru was still looking at the direction of Yukina when he heard Shigure's words. He whipped his head around and joined in the conversation.

"I think so too. I had never seen Hatori-kun treating anyone so nicely before, not even his ex-girl. It seems like they have a positive effect on each other. Besides, Yukina-chan's smile is so radiant and charming…" Haru mused with a soft smile.

Shigure raised his eyebrows and gave Haru a poke.

"Are you beginning to fall in love with Yukina-chan, Haru-kun?" he asked offhandedly, but slightly worrying inside.

"What will happen if I say yes, Shigure-kun?" Haru challenged.

"Ah…" and Shigure scratched his head, "I'm not sure about that, but are you going to fight with Hatori-kun over Yukina-chan?"

"WHAT?" it was an outburst from the table, mainly from Tohru, Kyou and Haru. Yuki was the only one to remain silent, his heart had plummeted down to the deepest abyss, as he considered the possibility of Hatori and Yukina being together, also meaning that he had no chance…to be with her.

Kyou recovered first and he asked curiously, "Are Hatori-kun and Yukina-chan really a couple, Shigure-kun?"

Shigure smiled mysteriously and replied, "Actually…I'm not quite sure about that. You do know that Hatori-kun is rather shy and will not admit his feelings for anyone unless you force him with a gun."

Yuki could not bear to listen to the conversation anymore. However, he had to make sure of a particular matter before he left the table.

"Please stop talking about that topic, Shigure-kun. I have wanted to ask this for long – is Yukina-chan one of our family, or maybe a distant relative?" he asked softly.

Shigure rested his head on his hands, knowing what would come next but still wanting to ensure it.

"Yuki, why did you ask that? We have known every Souma there is to know, and there are no new members added to the family, as I remember clearly," he said in a more serious tone, instantly hinting that this was a serious matter.

Yuki sensed his change of behaviour, and continued, "I felt that…I had known Yukina-chan for a long time, but I could not identify her for sure. It's like the feeling you get when you meet another Souma…"

Suddenly, Haru chipped in too. "It's not only Yuki-kun; I also had that feeling. However, I cannot remember where or when I have seen her before."

Shigure heard it and looked at Kyou and Tohru, who were listening to the conversation with the utmost attention.

"How about the two of you?" he inquired.

"I…had that feeling too," Kyou replied and looked at his girlfriend, anxious to know her answer.

Tohru shook her head. "I guess I'm the only one who did not felt that I recognised Yukina-chan. I just thought that she is a very sweet and charming girl."

Shigure nodded thoughtfully. "So, this means that Yukina-chan is somehow connected to us, the Soumas, as only we had that kind of feeling, and not Tohru-chan. In fact, Hatori, Ayame and I sensed that Yukina-chan is not just another ordinary girl, but I wanted to hear it from all of you."

Here, Haru interrupted. "But you said it just now, that Yukina-chan is not one of the Soumas. Then, how could she be related to us?"

"I cannot say for sure, but it is one of my doggy intuitions. I guess we just have to wait and see, and hope that Yukina-chan can remember her own past. In the meantime, please help Yukina-chan to adapt to her new life, okay?" and he glanced at all the teenagers, who were looking at him intently.

"Sure we will, Shigure-kun," was the unanimous reply, and he beamed happily. Then, all of them left the table to do their own things, leaving Shigure alone in the garden.

Being the observant novelist, Shigure was reflecting back on the conversations he had, and the incidents that happened. Firstly, Yukina had beaten him in chess, which might mean that she had received good education, or that she is extremely intelligent.

Then, he thought about the way Yukina brightened up upon seeing Hatori. Besides, Hatori was equally happy to see Yukina too. Shigure wondered if they are really in love; one thing was for sure, those two had feelings for each other, just how deep were they was the problem.

Another issue was Yukina's relationship with the other teenagers. Thankfully, Kyou and Tohru is a couple now, and they seemed to be charmed by Yukina, but there was not anything romantic involved. Next, Haru gave the impression that he was interested in Yukina, but maybe that was just a crush, and would die off eventually.

The real hitch is with none other than Yuki. Shigure had been secretly observing Yuki's interaction with Yukina. Shigure had guessed that Yuki would be the one closest to Yukina among the four teenagers, because he had the same experience and knew how it felt to be abused. However, Shigure had not expected that Yuki would fall in love with Yukina, until he saw that Yuki was prepared to tell his sorrowful past to her had not Shigure stopped him, whom he had just met. Shigure also saw the slight change in Yuki's expression when he had joked about Hatori and Yukina being a couple.

It was quite a dilemma. Yuki's feelings did not look as if it was merely a crush like Haru's. Instead, it seemed to be deep and intense as they both shared the same kind of past. Both Yuki and Hatori were his cousins, and he did not wish for any one of them to get hurt. Shigure felt sorry for both of them, as only one of them would get to be with Yukina. Hatori had been hurt in love once, a long time ago, and it was a miracle that he would allow anyone to be this close to him like Yukina. On the other hand, Yuki had also been hurt, when Tohru chose Kyou over him. Compared to Hatori, Yuki was more shy and reserved, but he had not been that way with Yukina. Shigure was thankful that Yukina was not someone who would take advantage of how both of them felt for her, or else the matter would be even difficult. He was sure that if Yukina chose one of them, the other would not have the courage to love for the third time.

Shigure was mooning over this problem when a familiar voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"What's the matter, Shigure-kun? You were looking almost like Hatori-kun when he is moping, did you know that?" Ayame appeared in front of him.

Shigure smiled slightly; now that Ayame was here, maybe he would find a solution for the problem.

"Why did you come here all of a sudden, Ayame-kun?" he asked.

"Oh, I knew that Hatori-kun and Yukina-chan are coming here, so I thought that I would join in the fun too," Ayame replied and grinned, "So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

Shigure drew a deep breath, and told Ayame everything that happened, including his personal thoughts on the incidents. Ayame listened attentively, and turned serious.

"So, you mean that not only Hatori-kun, but my little brother is also in love with Yukina-chan?" he asked, but he had already expected something like this to happen, for Yukina is considerably adorable and charming.

"Actually, Haru-kun is also attracted to Yukina-chan, but I think it is just a crush and can be dissolved easily," came the reply.

Ayame gave his friend and cousin a pat on the back and assured him, "Shigure-kun, it is too early to worry about their relationships right now. I think all of us should just wait and observe. Besides, there is still the matter of Yukina-chan's master, and her mysterious bond with us. So, let's just leave it at that, okay?"

Shigure nodded and smiled, grateful that Ayame showed up at the perfect time to listen to his worries. He got up and walked into the house, with Ayame following behind.

As Shigure reached his doorstep, he could hear laughter and happy exclamations coming from inside of the house. Interested to know what was happening, he quickened his pace and got into his living room.

What he saw was Hatori, Yukina and the others sitting on the floor, with Hatori unpacking some of his bags with the help of Yukina. Out came tons of presents, wrapped in colourful papers. Hatori handed them over one by one to the four of the kids, who were excited to have received presents.

Not wanting to miss the fun, Shigure and Ayame both sprang across the room and leapt on Hatori, giving everyone a fright.

"Ah, Hatori-kun, where are our presents?" both of them said at the same time.

Hatori smiled and said, "I won't dare to have forgotten both of your presents," and he removed two big ones from his bag and gave them to Shigure and Ayame, "Here you go."

"Thanks, Hatori-kun!" both of them said and grinned widely.

Hatori sighed and shook his head, smiling at Yukina, who was watching him with a perplexed expression.

"What's the matter, Yukina-chan?" he asked.

Yukina hesitated a while before answering, "Umm…why are you giving presents now, Hatori? Is it that their birthdays are at the same time?"

Everyone had quietened down, watching Yukina curiously, but not unkindly.

Hatori smiled warmly at Yukina and placed one of his hands on top of hers.

"It's not that, Yukina-chan. It has always been a tradition in our family to give presents to each other during Christmas and the New Year," he explained.

Oddly, Yukina still had a puzzled face, and everyone was now observing her intently, wanting to know what would happen next.

"Umm…Christmas…and New Year?" poor Yukina was thoroughly confused now, as it was the first time she heard these words that seemed foreign to her.

Except the three grownups, the rest in the room was quite startled – Yukina does not know what is Christmas? However, they did not look down on her because of that, as her lack of knowledge of these things was rather understandable.

Then, all four of them spoke at the same time, eager to explain everything that Yukina does not understand to her. At last, they managed to get Yukina to realize the meaning of celebrations, festivals and so on. Hatori observed all this with a slight smile on his face. It seems that it was really a good idea to let Yukina live here for a while, and she can learn many new things, not the intellect kind, but how to adapt to society and make friends with others.

Shigure then grinned as he thought of something.

"Yukina-chan, to repay all of them for trying so hard to let you know what Christmas is, why not cook your fabulous dinner for us tonight?" he said.

Yukina faltered, "If the things I cook are not to everyone's taste…" but she was interrupted by Yuki, who said, "Please do cook for us, Yukina-chan. Since Shigure-kun ate your dinner last time, he could not stop ranting about how delicious it was," and smiled at her.

Yukina could not think of anything to say, and had to consent amidst everyone's cheering and clapping. At that time, it was already four in the afternoon, and Yukina thought long and hard about the kind of dishes that would suit the tastes of everybody. At last, she decided to cook a combination of Western, Chinese and Japanese food after seeing what was inside Shigure's fridge.

Hatori looked at Yukina for a short while and smiled at her.

"Yukina-chan, let's go to our room to unpack our bags. Besides, you can also take a short rest, as you have just recovered and should not over-exert yourself."

She nodded and followed Hatori upstairs, leaving behind a group of teenagers staring with a mystified expression.

"Shigure-kun, are Hatori-san and Yukina-chan going to sleep in the same room? But, we have many spare rooms left, should I go and tell them?" Tohru asked innocently.

Shigure gave a big chuckle and replied, "Tohru-chan, you don't need to worry about that, as they have been sleeping together since Yukina-chan appeared."

"WHAT!?" came the outburst from all the four teenagers.

From the second floor, both Hatori and Yukina heard the loud sound produced, and Hatori raised his eyebrows. Yukina cocked her head and asked worriedly, "Has somebody been hurt, Hatori?"

Hatori placed a hand on her shoulder and answered, amused, "I'm sure everything is fine down there, Yukina-chan. Maybe Shigure is telling one of his perverted stories again," then he turned her around to face him, staring straight into her brown orbs. "Would you be willing to tell me what happened in the garden just now, Yukina-chan?"

His eyes told Yukina that he will not accept 'no' for an answer, and judging by his perceptiveness, he would sense immediately if Yukina lied to him.

"Actually, it's nothing much…I just overreacted, and got upset over something that Tohru-san said," she replied softly.

"What did Tohru say?"

"Umm…she asked me to go over and chat with them, saying that she was interested to know more about my past…" her voice trailed off as she noticed that Hatori had stopped smiling, and his face was grim.

"Please don't blame Tohru-san, Hatori. It wasn't her fault in the first place," afraid that Hatori might get angry, Yukina reassured him hastily.

She was startled as Hatori placed a long finger on her lips and looked at her with earnest and intense eyes.

"Do you really want to know about your past that much, Yukina-chan?" he asked softly.

Yukina had not expected such a question, and she became silent, trying to find the answer she never knew.

"I…I'm not sure. A part of me wants to know because I want to have a sense of belonging, but the other part doesn't because…" here she gazed at him, "maybe knowing the past would be painful, and I might be forced to separate with you…"

Hatori was happy and sad at the same time. Happy because Yukina wanted to stay with him, and sad because he felt that he could not possibly be with her forever, however much he wanted to.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him gently, leaning against the wall outside their room. For once, he did not know how to console her, and both of them just remained silent there, contemplating their obscure future.

Just then, Tohru came upstairs, intending to do a bit of housekeeping for the guests and make their stay comfortable. However, she stopped at the sight of Yukina in Hatori's arms. They seemed to be in their own world, and did not notice Tohru, who was at the staircase. She grinned knowingly and left the two alone, not wanting to disturb them.

After being lost in thought for a while, Hatori looked at Yukina, who was gazing at him with wondering eyes. He could not bear the thought of her leaving him, but he was unsure whether he was able to keep her with him forever.

"Yukina-chan, I wish to look after you as long as I can. But, if your past catches up with you, then…we would just decide what to do next, okay?" he said softly and stroked her hair tenderly.

She nodded silently and both of them made their way into the room. Their bags were on the floor, and they sat down together to unpack their things. Hatori looked around the room, noticed there was no bed, and began to lay down a big futon for two.

At that time, Yuki was just about to go upstairs to fetch something from his room when Tohru stopped him.

"Umm…Yuki-kun, I think you should not go upstairs for you might disturb Yukina-chan and Hatori-san," she said with a grin and ran off.

Yuki was left there alone and puzzled, wondering why Tohru was acting so strangely. Suddenly, he started as he was struck with a possibility. Could Hatori-kun and Yukina-chan be making…?

Immediately, his heart filled with a mysterious burning rage, as he thought, "How could Hatori take advantage of Yukina-chan, an untainted, innocent girl in that way?" Yuki clenched his fists and sprinted upstairs, not knowing what he was going to do, but determined to stop them both from…


	6. Chapter 5

As he reached the top of the staircase, he collided with Yukina, who was just about to go down to prepare dinner, and both of them ended on the floor. Rubbing her head, Yukina looked up confusedly from the ground to see who it was that bowled her over.

Equally bewildered, Yuki stared at Yukina, who was rubbing her head to ease the pain from it hitting the floor. She looked normal, and did not have the signs of someone who had just done what he thought Hatori and Yukina have been doing.

"You…you are here, Yukina-chan?" he asked softly.

"Ah…yes, Yuki-kun. I just finished unpacking my bags, and I'm going to the kitchen to cook dinner. Umm…your face seems quite red, are you not feeling well, Yuki-kun?" Yukina asked.

Hatori heard the crash, and came out of the room, curious to know what it was. What he saw was both Yuki and Yukina sitting on the floor; apparently they had bumped into each other. They looked so amusing with their perplexed expressions that Hatori could not help giving out a chuckle. He strode over and helped them to get up.

"Would you care to tell me what happened here, Yukina-chan?" he asked with a smile.

Yuki cut in before she could open her mouth.

"Actually, I was running up the stairs and I collided with her here, Hatori-kun," he explained and turned to Yukina. "I'm sorry for knocking you over, Yukina-chan." Judging from their appearance, it was evident that Yuki had misunderstood Tohru's words, and maybe they were just resting.

"Oh…never mind. But…are you sure you are okay, Yuki-kun? You look like you have a fever…" Yukina asked.

Yuki smiled and replied, "I'm fine, Yukina-chan. Maybe I just ran up the stairs too quickly, that's all. Well, I'm looking forward to taste your dinner," and he walked into his room.

Yukina shrugged and began to walk down the stairs, while Hatori went back into their room to arrange the futon. After a while, he finished and made his way to the kitchen, guessing that Yukina must have started making dinner.

His guess proved correct, as he saw Yukina's back. He stood in the doorway, watching as Yukina chopped vegetables and meat into slices deftly. He could not help but admire her skills as she finished up and began to heat the pan. Yukina saw him and smiled happily, and he went inside the kitchen.

"What are you going to cook, Yukina-chan?"

She smiled mischievously as she answered, "You have to wait until its dinner time, Hatori."

Hatori smiled back at her and ruffled her hair softly. Suddenly, he thought of something and he asked a painful question, wanting to know the answer although he was filled with grief at remembering his agonizing past, "Yukina-chan, what do you think snow becomes when it melts?"

Yukina paused from her work and looked at Hatori slowly.

"I remember someone telling me a legend that the snow…is actually the tears of two lovers forced to separate from each other. And when it melts, it symbolises that they can reunite. So, to me the snow is the symbol of eternal love…and happiness…" her voice was soft and melancholy, and her eyes glazed over, making her seem like a different person.

Hatori was startled as he had not expected such an answer. He wondered if he had triggered some of her memories by asking that question. Suddenly, he saw a tear run down Yukina's face, and she was motionless. He quickly got to Yukina's side and asked, "What's the matter, Yukina-chan?"

"I…I don't know…but I sense a great deep sorrow coming from you…" her voice dropped to a whisper. "Please tell me…the reason you are so sad, Hatori. Please…I can't bear to have this feeling…" tears rolled down her cheeks and she sank to the floor.

"Yukina-chan…" he squatted and reached out a hand to touch her face gently, "I just remembered a time when I was completely cursed by the dragon, and was punished by the head of the family…" he paused, wondering if it was sensible to tell her the matter, but looking at her face, oddly he felt a little comforted, and a notion came into his mind, hinting that he would be relieved of his years of pain if he told her everything that had haunted his mind for years.

Acting upon his instincts despite his heart, which was filled with anguish, he related to her the incident where Akito had thrown a vase at him, nearly blinding his left eye when he wanted to marry Kana. He also told her of his grief at having to erase her memories of him, and sadness of not being able to attend Kana's wedding for fear that she might remember him.

After he finished, he stared at Yukina, who was still in a kneeling position. Unexpectedly, she stood up and placed her hand over her heart.

"There should not be so much suffering in this world…and especially not for you…" her voice was tender and soothing, and seemed to have the ability to heal. "Please let me ease your pain and sorrow…"

Hatori's eyes were transfixed upon Yukina, who stood still and murmured something he could not comprehend. All of a sudden, a fierce gust of wind blew into the house, although all the windows were closed, causing everyone to wonder what had happened.

Yukina's hazel eyes transformed into a vivid emerald green abruptly, and she was surrounded by a soft white light as pure as the snow which appeared out of nowhere. She looked serene, almost tranquil as she slowly turned to face him.

"Hatori…you deserve happiness…and it was not your fault that it happened…it was just a cruel twist of fate…please let it go…and move forward with your life…and open your heart to accept new things…" she said softly.

Hatori was mesmerised as he witnessed all this, and he could not do anything except to stare at her. Yukina closed her eyes, and the radius of the light that surrounded her became bigger and bigger, until it enveloped Hatori's body too.

Strangely, Hatori enjoyed the sensation that came over him as the light covered the whole of his body. Suddenly, he felt very blissful and contented, and the pain that was in his heart before dissolved into nothing. He still had the memories of Kana, but they had no effect, as they were just memories of his life. Finally, he was able to let go of his past, and the sorrow that came with it cannot affect him any more. Furthermore, his left eye, which had a blurry vision before, was able to see clearly now.

He stared at Yukina, wondering how she had been able to create such a miracle. Gradually, the soft light disappeared; Yukina's eyes returned to their original hazel, her body went slack and she collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

By now, Shigure and Ayame had sensed that something had happened in the kitchen, with the wind blowing in a closed house and the mystifying light that came out from there. They were startled as it disappeared, and jumped when they heard Hatori's shout.

"YUKINA!"

Immediately, Shigure and Ayame burst into the kitchen, followed by Yuki and the others, for they heard Hatori too. What they saw was Yukina, unconscious in Hatori's arms, with both of them on the floor.

Shigure was the first to open his mouth, "Hatori! What happened here?"

Hatori was still confused and he shook his head. "I will explain it to you later. Please help me get Yukina-chan somewhere comfortable she can lie down and rest."

Together, they helped Hatori to carry Yukina to a couch, and they laid her down on it. She looked like how she was when Hatori first saw her, pale and lifeless. At least she was still breathing, and this relieved Hatori greatly.

"Now…what happened to Yukina-chan? Besides, what was that wind and light just now? It did not seem natural…" Shigure's voice trailed off as he looked at Yukina. Yuki walked forward, and laid a hand on Yukina's forehead. He closed his eyes for a moment and looked at Hatori.

"Her life energy is extremely weak…what did she do?" Yuki, who had learned martial arts before, detected it and asked.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Hatori began to relate the incidents that happened in the kitchen: the question he asked, Yukina's crying, the disappearance of his grief over Kana…and how it happened.

Everyone was stunned after they heard Hatori's narration, and they found it hard to believe. However, they did sense a small change in Hatori, and the subtle sorrow they had noticed in his eyes before disappeared thoroughly.

"Who actually is…Yukina-chan?" Tohru wondered out loud.

Despite the situation, Hatori smiled and reached out a hand to touch Yukina's cheek caressingly.

"We might not know the answer now, Tohru-chan. But, I'm sure that Yukina-chan is a miracle sent by heaven. Now, I know that it's not necessary to erase one's memories to make them forget their sorrow…we just have to forgive, let go and move on…"

Yuki remained silent as he watched Hatori looking at Yukina with such tenderness. He agreed with the statement that Yukina was a miracle, and wondered whether she was an angel, or maybe a seraph, instead of human. He looked again at Yukina, who was sleeping peacefully after her exertion. However, Yuki knew that there was a possibility that she might not wake up, as her life energy was almost zero.

Yuki looked at Kyou, and asked, "Can you help me…" and gestured towards Yukina. Kyou's eyes glittered and asked, "You mean…transfer?" Apparently, they understood each other's unfinished questions and nodded at the other person.

Then, they moved towards Yukina, but were stopped by Hatori.

"What are you going to do, Kyou, Yuki?" he asked.

"Don't worry, Hatori-kun. We are going to transfer a part of our energy to Yukina, or else she might not be able to wake up forever, even though she is alive. We learnt it from our martial arts teacher," Yuki reassured Hatori.

"Is that so, then I will help too," Haru said and walked forward.

The three of them smiled slightly at one another, and put their hands on both of Yukina's, which was clasped together in front of her unconscious body. Then, they gripped her hands tightly and closed their eyes, giving a small part of their energy to Yukina to help restore her life.

After a while, they let go of Yukina's hands, and sat down on the floor, quite exhausted. Yuki smiled at Hatori and said, "Yukina-chan is fine, and should be awake after a few minutes."

Hatori smiled back and replied, "Thanks for helping Yukina-chan, Yuki. How can I repay you for your kindness?"

"You are welcome, Hatori-kun, and please don't mention it. I'm glad to be able to help…" Yuki started and looked at Yukina, whose eyes were slowly fluttering open. She gazed at the worried people who surrounded her and spoke in a whisper, "Hatori…Yuki-kun…Kyou-kun…and Haru-kun…everyone is here…"

Hatori quickly walked to her side and held her hand. "Yukina-chan, did you remember what had happened?" She hesitated for a short while, and nodded wordlessly.

"Am I…a monster?" she asked quietly, and cast her eyes down.

Hatori could not stand it any more, and he pulled Yukina into his arms forcefully, all the while murmuring, "No, Yukina-chan…you are nothing of the sort. I was the monster, holding stubbornly on to painful memories. But, you have changed me, and I can't thank you enough…"

Everyone else remained silent, touched by the sight of the both of them together. Yuki turned away, the picture of Hatori and Yukina embracing each other was too painful for him to see. Shigure noticed it and frowned slightly, as he sensed that Yuki was depressed but he did not know how to comfort him.

With the help of Hatori, Yukina got up from the couch, and she walked to the kitchen slowly, intending to finish her cooking. However, Tohru tried to stop her.

"Don't worry about the dinner, Yukina-chan. I will make it, and please go and rest," Tohru smiled.

"It's okay, Tohru-chan. I'm fine now, thanks to all of you…besides, I promised to cook dinner today," she smiled back. Shigure clapped his hands cheerfully, "Yeah…I can't wait to eat your cooking today, Yukina-chan!"

After a while, the delicious smell of cooking curry spread out of the kitchen, making everybody's mouth water. Hatori motioned towards Shigure, and both of them made their way to somewhere private enough, with Ayame following silently.

At last, Hatori and Shigure sat down in a room. Shigure laid his head on his hand and gazed at Hatori questioningly.

Hatori looked straight into Shigure's eyes and said, "I need you to do me a favour. Please let Yukina-chan stay here, together with you and the rest, and take care of her."

Then, both of them jumped, as Ayame slithered into the room as a snake and transformed back to his human form, dressing himself with a shirt nearby. He interrupted, "Why would you want to do that, Hatori-kun?"

Hatori narrowed his eyes, and spoke softly as not to be overheard by others. "I don't want her to be too reliant on me, because if the time comes when we are forced to be apart, the pain and hurt would be too great to bear…"

Shigure's eyes grew wide, as he had never thought of such a question before. "Why are you so sure that you will have to separate in the future?" he shot back.

"You knew what happened just now…I'm sure that Yukina-chan is not just another ordinary girl, and the people who know her will come and find her eventually. If we get too close, I know that I can't suffer losing her…"

"If you could just accept her into your heart, you wouldn't need to lose her, Hatori," Shigure's voice was quite hard, for he was aware that leaving Yukina here would cause her greater pain than letting her stay with Hatori.

"But…I don't deserve someone like her, who is pure and untainted, and having such an adorable face…"

Ayame's hands had balled itself into fists, and he grabbed Hatori to shake him by the collar. "What had got into you, Hatori? Can't you see that you need Yukina-chan as much as she needs you? If you desert her here, it would just kill her slowly and agonizingly, don't you know that?"

Shigure held Ayame back, and said firmly with an air of decisiveness, "I won't agree to let you leave Yukina-chan here. However, I can help you to take care of her when you go to work, and you will pick her up after you have finished, and that's final."

By then, Ayame had relaxed, and he sat down glaring at Hatori. "Just go and tell her that you love her, and want her to stay with you even if somebody else comes to claim her, idiot."

Hatori could not think of a reply to this, as his heart was full of conflicting desires. Part of him wanted to keep Yukina with him; another part told him that it was impossible. Suddenly, he recalled their first meeting, and his promise to her to be responsible for her, and he looked at Ayame and Shigure, who were watching the subtle expressions that flitted across his face, and guessed that he had made the correct decision.

"I won't do that, but I will not leave her here either. I'm thinking of sending her to school next year…what do you think?"

"It's a good idea, but are you sure that she can read and write?" Shigure asked ponderingly.

"Yes, but I don't know what her levels are…so I might bring her for a test before school reopens. Except for Haru, the others are in their senior year, right?"

Shigure nodded and suddenly sniffed the air. "I think Yukina has finished cooking dinner. Let's go out and eat." and he bounced out, happy at the thought of having great food to eat.

Hatori and Ayame tailed behind, with Hatori making plans to bring Yukina to the school Yuki and the others were studying in, and make arrangements so that she could study there too. They, as well as the other teenagers, were taken aback when they saw the food laid on the table. There was a bowl of boiling meat curry, a hot pot of tofu stuffed with loads of vegetables, braised fish with appetising garnishes, chicken soup and steamed rice balls. There were also glasses of fruit cocktail served.

Each of the dishes looked so tempting that their mouths watered involuntarily. Yukina was laying down the cutlery, and invited them to start eating. Everybody sat down around the table, and started to dine. They could not help but praise Yukina's skill at cooking, to which she beamed happily, glad to serve all of them.

Within an hour, all the food on the table had disappeared into their stomachs, and they thanked Yukina again for the dinner she had cooked. She accepted their thanks graciously, and they cleaned up the table. After that, everyone went back to deal with their own affairs, while Ayame returned to his own house.

Hatori and Yukina went to the living room, and sat down on the couch. After a while, Yuki came and join them too, and they chatted together at ease. Then, Hatori remembered the decision that he made a moment ago, and decided to go on it.

"Yuki, how are your studies?" Hatori asked.

"I'm progressing quite well. Why did you ask?" Yuki was puzzled, as Hatori never showed concern in his studies before.

"Ah…I'm thinking about sending Yukina-chan over to Kaibara High next year. What do you think about it?" he directed the question to both of the teenagers.

"School…?" Yukina asked apprehensively, while Yuki smiled at her and said, "That's a great idea, Hatori-kun. But, which year are you going to let her into?"

To this he replied, "I'm not sure yet, but I think it would be either Haru's year or yours, as Yukina-chan is about sixteen years old. I would have to discuss the matter with the principal later on."

"Oh…I know. I will let Yukina-chan have a look at my textbooks and see whether she understands it. Please wait here while I go and fetch them," and Yuki went upstairs to take his books.

Hatori turned to smile at Yukina and asked, "How do you feel about going to school, Yukina-chan?"

She shrugged, "Um…I'm not sure…"

Just then, Yuki arrived carrying a small stack of books he studied. Curiously, Yukina flipped through the pages for a while and raised her head to look at Hatori.

"I think…I have already known all these things, but don't ask me why…" she said diffidently.

Inquisitively, Hatori took one book and flipped through it too. Then, he stared at Yukina. "It's Yuki's senior year at Kaibara High, and if you knew these things…you should have already graduated from high school…Yukina-chan." and Hatori put the book down, "I have made up my mind. You will go and take the qualifying exam so that the school can arrange for you to be studying there, and judging by your intelligence, you should be able to go to the final year. It will be good for you to mix around with many people about your age, and get used to society, Yukina-chan."

Yukina hesitated for a while, and Yuki interrupted. "Don't worry, Hatori-kun. I will take care of Yukina-chan while she is at school, which, by the way, starts on the first week of summer."

Hatori nodded gratefully, and Yukina smiled, reassured. "Then, the matter is settled. Yukina-chan, in these few days I will bring you to meet the principal and take the test, so you should prepare yourself."

"Okay, Hatori," Yukina promised to study for the upcoming test, and Hatori smiled at her, glad to see her open up to accept new ideas.

"Uh…Yukina-chan, would you like to study together with me? I too want to do some studying before school reopens," Yuki asked shyly.

"Sure," Yukina agreed cheerfully and opened a book in front of her.

After a while, the two teenagers were engrossed in the book, and not wanting to disturb them, Hatori left to find Shigure. He found him sitting in the garden with a faraway expression, which was quite unusual. Hatori walked over, and plonked a chair beside him.

"You don't seem quite like yourself today, Shigure," he stated.

Shigure was jolted from his thoughts, and looked at Hatori.

"Nah, I was just thinking…do you love Yukina-chan, Hatori-kun?" he shot suddenly.

Hatori was shocked, and stared at him for quite a while. Then, he perceived that Shigure was serious, and he sighed.

"It doesn't make much difference whether I say yes or no, does it?"

"You are wrong, the decision you make will affect the whole family, whether you like it or not, Hatori," Shigure asserted.

His answer shocked Hatori, and he narrowed his eyes at him.

"Is that so? How would it affect the others?" he inquired, sensing that Shigure was going to tell him something.

Shigure looked at Hatori straight in the eyes, and told him his suspicions that Yukina might be able to rid them of the animal curse completely, and also about his worries that Yuki and Haru also had a crush on Yukina.

"I agree with you that Yukina is not another ordinary girl. But if there are people looking for her, there might also be enemies after her life. If you love her, you must be prepared to face any difficulties that might come in the future. And for the sake of Yuki, let him give up earlier to avoid him suffering by declaring that you love Yukina-chan." he said gravely.

"I have told you that I won't get involved with Yukina-chan too deeply…when the time for separation comes, it would be too heartbreaking to bear, Shigure."

"Do you think if Yukina-chan has a choice, she will choose to leave you now?" he shot back. "I have seen the way she looks at you, and the manner you talk while you are with her. Open your eyes to see how you have changed her, and the other way round, Hatori."

Hatori shook his head. "I can't do it now. Give me a few weeks to sort out my feelings, only then I would decide what to do…"

Shigure sighed, knowing that Hatori could be very stubborn at times. "All right, have it your own way, but only for a few weeks," and he left the table.

Slowly, the sky became darker, and Hatori too retired into his room. There, he found out that Yukina was studying inside, and he assumed that Yuki must have gone to sleep. He walked to Yukina's side softly and asked, "How are you doing, Yukina-chan?"

She took her eyes off the book and smiled at Hatori, "I think I already known all these, and I just needed to review some of it." Then, she closed the book and snuggled up to Hatori. "Are you going to sleep now, Hatori?"

He smiled and stroked her cheeks fondly. "Yes, but only if you are coming with me," he grinned and both of them laid down on the futon after switching off the lights.


	7. Chapter 6

The second day, Hatori woke up to see that Yukina was still sleeping, mouth slightly open, and an arm around his neck. He stared down at her sleeping form, wondering how did she heal his left eye, and most important of all, his wounded heart. He also thought about what Shigure told him the day before, about confessing to Yukina that he needed her by his side. He considered this option, thinking about the consequences if he really did so.

Just then, Yukina turned over a little in her sleep, and her face was buried into the crook of Hatori's neck. He could feel himself heat up, not because of the temperature, but at the feeling that engulfed him immediately as he felt Yukina's soft lips brushing against his neck unintentionally. He gritted his teeth and tried to prevent himself from reacting to the contact with Yukina's body. Unfortunately, Yukina chose that moment to cuddle up to Hatori more, and almost every part of their bodies were touching each other.

Groaning, Hatori could not control himself and thought fiercely, "Just this once, I will let my emotions run free…" and he wrapped his arms around Yukina to pull her closer. His abrupt movements woke Yukina up to see Hatori for a fleeting moment, before his lips closed over hers in an aggressive, passionate kiss. Her eyes widened in shock, and her face turned scarlet in colour. Giving in to Hatori's intense demands, she kissed him back with her soul, deepening the kiss.

Hatori sensed Yukina's response, and invaded her mouth mercilessly. After a kiss that lasted for about a few minutes, Hatori let loose of Yukina reluctantly. Then, he rolled over on top of her and opened his eyes. What he saw was Yukina's eyes, wide open and full of wonder and innocence. Her lips were slightly swollen, her face was flushed and she was panting slightly.

His pupils widened as he could not believe what he had just done. Slowly, he cupped Yukina's warm face in his hands and looked at her as thousands of emotions flitted through her face.

"I'm very sorry…Yukina-chan…" he apologised softly.

Timidly, Yukina raised a trembling hand to his face and ran a delicate finger down his cheek, again sending series of delicious shivers down his spine. "Please don't apologise for it. I…I had taken pleasure in it too…" she whispered and blushed scarlet.

Since they were born, the cursed Soumas were able to feel one another's aura. Now, everyone in the house except Tohru sensed the intense passions coming out from the room, and they wondered what had happened.

In the meantime, Shigure was bellowing at the top of his voice, calling everyone to wake up for breakfast, and Hatori and Yukina went downstairs for breakfast hastily, not yet acknowledging the pangs of passion that ran in between them. Shigure noted their flushed faces and strange behaviour, and deduced that something odd must have happened, although he did not know what it was.

After breakfast, Hatori made a clear statement for everyone at the table to hear.

"Yukina-chan, I have to work at the clinic for four days a week, so when I go to work, I would leave you here, and pick you up again when I come back. It's not safe for you to stay at home alone."

She accepted the suggestion without a single question, and the others, especially Yuki, were more than happy to let her stay here and welcomed her happily. Then, the occupants of Shigure's house resumed their daily activities, with Yuki studying together with Yukina, Shigure and Haru loitering around, Tohru and Kyou spending time together and occasionally they come together to chat with each other. Meanwhile, Hatori busied himself with surfing the net looking for medical information.

On the whole, the day passed normally, except for a few blushes from Yukina when she had eye contact with Hatori, and Hatori was quite flustered throughout the day, which was extraordinary for his usually cool demeanour. Being the observant person, Shigure noted these and pestered both Hatori and Yukina about what had happened, but they remained tight-lipped on the subject.

At last, it was time for them to go to bed again. That night, when Hatori entered the room, Yukina pretended to be asleep, not having the courage to face the delicate matter of what that happened. However, she stole a peek at Hatori from time to time, thinking how handsome Hatori was.

Hatori noticed the fleeting looks from Yukina, and he sighed softly, determined to end the tension between them. Slowly, he knelt down between Yukina and called her name softly but firmly.

Reluctantly, Yukina opened her eyes and looked at Hatori apprehensively, wondering what he was going to do. She sat up and timidly moved near Hatori, and when she sensed no resistance from him, she laid her head against Hatori's strong warm chest, enjoying the warmth and feeling of security.

Hatori was glad to know that Yukina still trusted him, and he pulled Yukina closer until she was sitting in his lap.

"Yukina-chan, if you feel uncomfortable about the incident, I promise that I won't…" Hatori began but was interrupted when Yukina shook her head.

"Hatori, I did not mean it that way…it's just I wasn't prepared then, but I…I liked it…" Yukina said softly.

Relieved, Hatori replied, "I'm very glad to hear that…but I was the one who went out of control. It's rather unacceptable to do that, especially when it could have led on to…" his voice trailed off.

"It could have lead on to what?" Yukina asked curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing, Yukina-chan," Hatori smiled at the girl and stroked her hair lovingly. "We should both go to sleep now, ne?"

The tension between Hatori and Yukina vanished after their conversation, and once again they slept together, with Hatori making silent vows not to touch Yukina in that way again if he could help it.

On the third day at Shigure's house, Hatori had to get back to work, and he bade goodbye to Yukina, promising to fetch her after he finished. That day, Yukina felt a little restless, as she sensed that something was going to happen in the Souma residence. However, she did not tell her feelings to anybody, as she did not want them to worry.

The morning passed without any incident, and the house was peaceful, unless one counted the time when Shigure got punched by Kyou for teasing his relationship with Tohru.

In the afternoon, Yuki, Shigure, Kyou and Tohru gathered in the living room for a game of Scrabble. All four of them were happily engrossed in the game, until Yuki sat up abruptly. The others stared at him, wondering what was wrong.

"Where is Haru-kun and…Yukina-chan?" he looked around but could not find those two. His body tensed, "If Haru turns black on Yukina-chan…"

Yuki got to his legs in an instant and rushed around the house, looking for Yukina and hoping that she was in the presence of Black Haru. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the same light he saw when Yukina 'cured' Hatori from the study.

He then dashed over there and threw open the door. Subsequently, he witnessed probably the closest thing to a miracle he would ever experience in his life. Yukina was standing there, her hand on where Haru's heart is. Yuki stood in the doorway, spellbound by the sight.

"So much discontent and unhappiness in your heart, Haru-kun…the result of being cursed by the cow and the reason you go 'black' sometimes…I sorry that I can't help remove the curse now, but at least let me make it easier to bear by making your dissatisfaction melt away. The adults tease you, because they don't understand…the cow is actually patient but powerful leaders…so don't hate yourself for this reason…please…" her soothing, tranquil voice went into Haru's mind effortlessly despite his attempts to resist.

At that time, Kyou, Shigure and Tohru also arrived there, and they just gaped at the scene. The similar soft light shrouded Haru and shone, then shimmered and disappeared. It left Haru there awestruck, and he was aware that Yukina had just dispersed the evil inside him, leaving behind the white Haru, but with the slightest aggressiveness, which might be good depending on the situation.

To everybody's relief, Yukina did not faint like she did before, but she was so weak that she needed to grip on to a chair to keep on her feet. Seeing her like that, Shigure and Yuki walked over quickly to help support her.

"Seems like you are getting used to performing this healing, Yukina-chan," Shigure remarked, looking at the pale girl in front of him.

"I guess so…it seemed easier this time…" she smiled weakly.

Noticing her fragility, Tohru bustled over and shooed the two men away.

"Yukina-chan, don't talk any more. You should go and rest instead…let me help you to your room," she chided gently.

"Thanks, Tohru-chan," Yukina said gratefully and she went to her bedroom to sleep.

Now, the four males were left in the study. Shigure was the first to open his mouth, "Haru-kun, what aspect did Yukina-chan heal of you?"

"I think that…she made the evil side, or the black side of me, disappear," Haru answered softly, not having completely recovered from the incident.

"I see," said Shigure thoughtfully, "she is not able to remove the curse from us now, but she can cure the consequences of it." Then, he looked at the grandfather clock. "Hatori-kun would only be here after a few hours, I think she would be fine sleeping upstairs," saying this, he left the room to work on his novel.

Kyou looked a moment at Shigure's back, and he turned to stare at Yuki.

"You seem to be overly concerned about Yukina-chan, rat," he commented.

Yuki glowered and retorted, "I had promised Hatori-kun to take care of her, and what's it got to do with you anyway, cat?"

Kyou shrugged, "It's so obvious that you have fallen for her, but Hatori and her…" his voice trailed off.

"What about Hatori-kun and Yukina-chan?" Yuki's tone softened dangerously.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just feel that Yukina-chan would be better off with Hatori-kun, that's all," Kyou remarked offhandedly, but his actual intentions were to find out whether Yuki was interested in Yukina.

Yuki's eyes flashed, and Kyou could not see the swift blow coming. In an instant he was knocked down to the floor, and Yuki left, saying, "Maybe you will think twice before opening your mouth next time, stupid cat."

Kyou sat up, tenderly massaging his face where Yuki punched him just now. He smirked and said to himself, "So the damn rat really likes her after all…"

Feeling himself once more, Haru shook his head at their antics, and went back to his room silently. Kyou stood up and walked outside to bump into Tohru, who inquired about the red mark on his cheek. He related the whole incident to her, and Tohru advised him not to mention the matter in Yuki's presence again.

The short hand of the clock reached six, and after a while, Hatori entered Shigure's house. He looked around but could not see Yukina anywhere, and he grew quite worried until Shigure informed him that Yukina was sleeping upstairs.

Hatori frowned, thinking that it was odd for Yukina to sleep at this time of the day. "Is Yukina-chan sick?" he asked anxiously.

Shigure chuckled, seeing Hatori so concerned about Yukina. He patted his shoulder and said reassuringly, "No, she's just a little tired." Then, he told everything that happened in the afternoon to Hatori.

After Shigure finished, both of them went upstairs to where Yukina was sleeping. Hatori stared down at her sleeping form, curled up like a cat, and murmuring something softly in her sleep.

Forgetting about Shigure's presence, he knelt softly beside Yukina and tried to discern what she was saying. It was difficult, but he caught something that sounded like "Don't leave me alone…I don't…lonely…" and suddenly a single, solitary tear rolled down her cheek.

It was then Hatori decided to wake her up. He laid his hand on her cheek, wiped off the tear and called out her name in a soft but firm voice. He watched fondly as her eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Hatori…?" Yukina asked, apparently still half-asleep.

"Yukina-chan, I knew what you did in the afternoon and you must be tired. However, I would like you to rest only after I get you home with some dinner, okay?"

She nodded dazedly and bade goodbye to Shigure, who was staring after them with an amused but knowing look. Then, they made their way back home after Hatori brought her to a restaurant for dinner.

He held her hand gently and led her up the stairs, noticing that she was still dreamy. They both changed into their pyjamas and Hatori tucked Yukina into bed and lie down. Before she closed her eyes, he took her hand in his own and whispered into her ears, "Don't worry, Yukina-chan. I won't leave you alone, nor would I allow you to be lonely."

Yukina smiled happily at this, and they kept each other company throughout the night, in each other's arms.

The night passed peacefully, and Yukina was woken up by the sound of shuffling papers, and she leapt out of bed, noticing that Hatori was already up and about.

"Do you have work today, Hatori?" she inquired, hoping the answer was 'no'.

Her prayers were granted as Hatori replied, "No, Yukina-chan, but I will bring you to take the qualifying exam at Kaibara High today, as you need it to determine which year and class you will go to next year."

"Oh…okay. So, I would need pencils, erasers, pens…" she began making a mental list of what she would need to bring, ticking off her fingers one by one.

"Don't worry about those things; I have them all ready for you. You just need to concentrate on doing your best in the exam afterwards," Hatori smiled and handed her a pencil case.

Yukina nodded her head and followed Hatori to the car, and he drove both of them to Kaibara High.

Once they reached, they went in to find the principal, who fortunately was quite free at the moment. He greeted Hatori warmly, for he recognised him as the cousin of Yuki, Haru, Kyou, and the others who studied in this school as well as the town doctor. Hatori told him their purpose for coming, and handed over some documents. Then, the principal handed a set of qualification test papers over to a teacher and Yukina started to sit for her exam. Meanwhile, Hatori was having a conversation with the principal, Shiro Kurama.

"It's good to see you again, Hatori-san, since you came to collect Yuki's, Kyou's and Haru's report book. So, who is that girl you brought in just now?" Shiro smiled genially at Hatori.

"Ah, her name is Yukina-Rei Jia," Hatori replied, eyeing Shiro.

Shiro smirked, and continued, "I think that both of us know very well that this is not the answer I wanted to know, Hatori-san."

The doctor sighed, knowing that his teacher would not rest until he got an answer he was satisfied with, which was typical of teachers. "About a week ago, I found Yukina-chan outside my house, unconscious and freezing. She was abused and tortured by a mysterious master whom she ran away from. Then, I decided to take care of her, and considering her age, let her study in this school with my cousins."

"I see. But, that girl seems a little familiar. Would she come from this area?" Shiro asked.

His words startled Hatori, and he inquired, "I can't know for sure. But, do you keep a record of the students with their pictures who had studied in this school before? Maybe we can find some clues about the people who are connected with Yukina-chan in that way…"

He had not finished speaking when Shiro was already busy in front of his computer, checking out the list of the students and ex-students. Suddenly, he frowned at the monitor for a long time, making Hatori notice his change in behaviour.

"Did you find anything, Shiro-san?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes, but…it's quite impossible…come over and take a look at this," Shiro seemed perplexed.

Hatori walked over and was stunned. On the screen there was a picture of Yukina staring back at him. Although the face was the slightest bit rounder, but her features, and the look in her eyes could never be mistaken. Then, he looked at the date, and his heart skipped a beat – it was about thirty years ago since this student had graduated from the school. Even the more baffling was that her name was exactly the same as Yukina's full name.

"How could this be…they are exactly the same…" he whispered, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"I thought so too, but that would make her more than ten years older than you, which doesn't make sense either, Hatori," Shiro said thoughtfully, pondering on the possibilities.

"Would she be someone related to Yukina-chan then?" Hatori asked, gesturing towards the picture.

"It's quite possible too, but how would they have exactly the same names then?" Shiro gazed intently at the profile in front of him. "Maybe if we ask Yukina-chan to see it…"

"There will be no use in doing that, for Yukina-chan has amnesia," Hatori cut off his words.

Shiro nodded and glanced at his watch. "I think the exam should be over in a few minutes, and you can know what class she is going to go into next year afterwards, Hatori. Do…you wish to show the picture to her?" he added the last question, knowing that Hatori is able to judge the consequences better than anyone else.

"I think it's better not to show her the picture, for her emotions might be disturbed. But, please keep the profile as it could be helpful in finding out her identity in the future," Hatori said.

Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door, and the teacher who was in charge of the qualifying exam came in, with Yukina tailing behind.

"Ah…Shinta-san, the exam has ended. So, how did Yukina-chan do?" Shiro noticed them and asked.

The teacher called Shinta handed over a set of papers, presumably Yukina's test papers, over to Shiro and said, "It is amazing, Yukina-san got almost ninety five percent correct – it was a combination between the senior and the sophomore syllabus, which means that she qualifies to the senior year."

Shiro peered at the papers, and looked up at Hatori. "The only other student I know that can perform so well would be your cousin, Yuki Souma. My, my, looks like he is going to face some challenges to maintain his first place in the form in the next schooling term," he chuckled and continued, "then it's settled. Yukina, you shall go to the first class of the senior year starting from the next semester."

Yukina heard it and smiled brightly, making the room seem to light up slightly. Then, she bowed and expressed her thanks to Shiro for giving her permission to study at Kaibara High.

"You are very welcome, Yukina. In fact, I'm glad to have a student like you in the school. Remember to study hard, and play hard too," Shiro smiled kindly at Yukina.

After that, Hatori and Yukina exited the office, making their way to the car. Hatori then drove to a nearby café for lunch and they had themselves a satisfying meal as way of celebration for Yukina's entry into Kaibara High.

Subsequently, they went to Shigure's place for the rest of the day, informing them of the news. Everyone was delighted to know that Yukina would be joining them to school next year, especially Yuki, for he could spend more time with her now that they were going to be in the same class.


	8. Chapter 7

The following days passed without any extraordinary incidents, and before the Soumas, Tohru and Yukina realised it, the month of December has almost ended and it was New Year's Eve again.

Although they did not show it, Hatori and Shigure were quite worried about the upcoming year. They knew that there was a possibility that Akito might come back to find them again, especially now that the animal curse had not been lifted completely.

On the last day of the year, Hatori, Yukina and Ayame all went to Shigure's house, planning to countdown to a new year together. The three grownups were chatting together, Kyou and Tohru were setting up the fireworks at the back garden while Yuki and Yukina were helping, with the latter extremely interested to see it as she had never saw fireworks before.

Suddenly, Yukina felt thirsty and went to the kitchen to get a drink. Then, she heard a knock at the door, impatient and forceful. Curiously, she walked out, wondering who it might be at this time of the day while calling to the others, "Don't mind it, I will open the door."

She rushed to the door, a glass of water in her hands, and pulled it open. The figure at the doorway was wearing a hooded cloak to protect himself from the slightly cold weather, and when he saw Yukina at the door, his lips twisted into an evil smile.

"This…this can't be happening," Yukina's mind screamed silently. She was petrified and was unable to move from the spot she was standing on. The glass she was holding dropped to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.

Immediately, Hatori ran over to check for any injuries, and seeing that there was none, he turned his attention on Yukina, who was trembling incessantly, which he had not seen for a long time.

The figure at the doorway then stepped inside the house and held Yukina's face in his long white fingers.

"Long time no see, Yukina. Do you think that you could run away from me that easily?" he sneered.

"Master…" Yukina whispered, knowing that her old nightmare has come back to haunt her now.

Hatori was filled with rage and pulled Yukina back into his arms. With his other free hand, he threw the hood of the figure back, determined to find out who he was.

By now, everyone had heard the commotion and came to the place, curious to know what had happened. It was the shock of their lives, which made their blood run cold as they found out that the person underneath the cloak was none other than…Akito Souma, the 'god' of the animals and leader of the Souma clan. Yukina's mysterious master and the person most feared by all the Soumas was actually the _same_ person.

"My, my…seems like you have been planning to celebrate New Year without me. And, there is a new addition to the household after the annoying girl who is now Kyou's girlfriend?" his voice was barely above a whisper, but they could hear each and every one of his words clearly.

"Akito…what did you come here for?" Hatori asked, trying to control his emotions, which was a mixture of surprise, rage and fear.

"Oh…I just heard that you have not been entirely freed from the curse yet, which means that I am _still_ your god. Besides, I'm also here to collect my slave who ran away from me a few months ago…" he smiled sinisterly, gesturing to Yukina.

"I will not let you take Yukina-chan!" and Yuki appeared from behind, moving forward and shielding Yukina from Akito. The others too were aware of how much pain and suffering Yukina had gone through when compared to them, and they moved in between Yukina and Akito.

"Ah…and here's my dear pet rat…Yuki. Do you want to follow me back to the main house too?" Akito cooed with a malicious glint in his eyes.

"Stop it Akito. We are not under your power anymore, and will not be," this was from Hatori, who was speaking in a cold voice.

All of a sudden, Akito sprinted forward and slapped Hatori hard in the face.

"DO YOU PATHETIC BEINGS THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST ABANDON ME? DON'T FORGET THAT I'M YOUR GOD, AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE UNDER MY POWER!" Akito yelled in anger. "BESIDES, I WON'T LET ANOTHER GIRL TRY TO SEPARATE US! THE TWELVE ANIMALS AND I WILL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER!"

Then, Akito looked at the human barrier formed in front of him, and he smirked.

"I see that you regard Yukina as somebody you must protect more than me, although I don't know the stupid reason behind it. If I haven't made myself clear enough, I will repeat it for the last time. _Yukina is my slave and I'm going to take her back. And all of you will come to the New Year banquet whether you like it or not."_ He spoke the last few words with a hiss.

Shigure suddenly had an idea. If Yukina could cure Haru and Hatori from the effects of the curse, then maybe…just maybe…he then turned to look at Yukina. The girl was limp in Hatori's arms, but she was still conscious.

Trying to be undetected, he moved nearer to Yukina and tugged at her sleeves.

"Yukina-chan, Akito behaves like this because she was also cursed as the god of the animals. Please, is it possible for you to cure her like you did last time too?" he whispered urgently into her ear.

At that time, Yukina was filled with a great fear, remembering the pain when she was whipped, beaten, and tortured in every possible way by Akito. However, when she heard Shigure's words, she turned to look at Hatori. His lips were bleeding as the result of the slap he received. He noticed her glance and smiled at her.

"It's okay, Yukina-chan. I won't let him get to you, even if it costs me my life, I will still protect you," he said gently.

Then, she looked around her. All of them stood in front of her, trying to protect her from Akito. Each one of them had a determined expression, but Yukina could see that their hands were shaking and their eyes contained great fear. She was so moved that tears flowed down her face uncontrollably, wetting her face and clothes.

" _You are able to help them, Althena. Just concentrate hard and you will remember how to do it. They are trying so hard for you, and you should also do the same for them…"_ she heard a familiar, enticing male voice she could not distinguish inside her mind.

"They are scared too, but they still try to protect me…I… I… I MUST do something to repay them," Yukina thought fiercely to herself. She clenched her fists tightly, trying to eliminate the fear and concentrate on performing the 'magic'.

Before everyone knew what Yukina was doing, she broke free from Hatori's grasp and lurched forward through the human shield to hug Akito tightly. The latter was so shocked that he did not try to inflict pain on Yukina again, but he just stood still, gaping at Yukina's sudden bravery.

"You are filled with hatred, but actually it is just fear of being alone…Akito. But, look around you; all of them are willing to be with you, if you could treat them better…And, the curse placed on you as the god of the zodiac will be removed shortly…my instincts tell me that…" she whispered.

"Please let me help to eliminate the hatred inside your heart from you…you are going to enjoy a happy life, and I promise that the curse will not affect you by making you die young…you have fulfilled your promise and duty as the leader of the Souma clan…"

Akito too was startled and just stared at Yukina, who seemed like a completely different person as she murmured those words to him. Her body then emitted a strong light, and her eyes glowed jade green, forcing everyone to shield their eyes from the fierce glare.

"Please free Akito from his hatred, and make him see that everyone would love him, if he would treat them with love too…"

Before Yukina collapsed to the floor, she looked at Akito with eyes of wonder and astonishment, and everyone heard her say something which sounded distinctly like, "You are…a woman…"

There was a loud gasp from Tohru, Haru, Yuki and Kyou. One of the reasons was seeing that Yukina was able to cure Akito too; another being the statement she made before turning unconscious. Only Shigure, Ayame and Hatori were not surprised as they had known the fact for a long time.

Hatori dashed forward, just in time to catch Yukina before she hit the floor. Then, everything went by in a blur. Some of them was helping Hatori carry Yukina to a place she can rest, while the others gazed at Akito apprehensively, wondering if he, or she would still persist in forcing them to go back to the main house.

Akito's expression was one of wonder and utmost shock as she stared after Yukina.

"Why…why do I feel no hatred towards being forced to be the leader of the Souma clan? And, why am I feeling satisfied with my present life and situation? Why can't I hate all of you like I did before…" Akito murmured with a hand over her heart. Shigure then walked to Akito's side and held her gently.

"You were not born to hate, Akito. Yukina did not change anything in you, she just helped you to realise that actually, you were never alone," Shigure smiled.

"I…I am not alone?" Akito tasted the words on her lips, thinking that they sounded so good. Then, she hugged Shigure tightly, "Thanks, Shigure, for staying by my side for such a long time, although I treated you so badly…"

Akito looked at the people around her. "I'm sorry for treating you in such a bad way in the past, but I would try to change my behaviour, everyone," and she bowed.

Everybody was glad to hear her words and accepted her apology graciously. Akito touched her head, suddenly remembering something important.

"Actually, I have something that I wanted to admit for a long time. The first time I saw Yukina-chan…" she said.

"You felt that you somehow saw her before, or maybe you know her?" Ayame chipped in helpfully. "Don't worry, all of us Soumas had that feeling too, but until now we could not find out the reason behind it."

"Is it so…" Akito mused and abruptly looked around her. "Where is Yukina-chan now? And, how is she?"

Everyone suddenly remembered that Yukina had fainted, and crowded over the couch to look at her. At that moment, Hatori and Yuki were kneeling beside her with extremely concerned expressions.

"Yukina-chan is weaker than the previous two times she did this. Besides, she seems to have no desire to wake up," Yuki frowned worriedly. "How can we try to summon her back?"

Unexpectedly, Yukina started to murmur something despite being unconscious.

"His voice…so familiar… I can't remember…but he must be someone very important in my life…I must pursue his voice until I find out who he is…"

Everyone drew a sharp breath at this, wondering whose voice it was that she heard. Yuki turned his gaze on Hatori and shook his head dejectedly.

"If she doesn't want to wake up, it's nearly impossible to force her," he sighed.

Akito then opened her mouth, startling all of them. "Is it possible to call Kazuma-san over here? He is the oldest of us Soumas, and he might know a little about the reason we feel that we know Yukina-chan. Besides, he is a martial arts master, and maybe he can try to heal Yukina-chan…"

Kyou started at this. "You mean…Master? I will go and phone him right away," and off he went to call Kazuma Souma.

A few minutes later, he came back looking doleful. Everyone crowded around him, eager to know the result.

"His assistant said that he went travelling, and is not sure when he would come back. But, I told him to inform master that we need his help when he returns," he explained to the crestfallen faces around him.

"He is our only hope, right? Then, we have no choice but to wait…" Hatori was very depressed, and hated himself for not being able to cure Yukina despite being a doctor.

Shigure, noticing the gloomy atmosphere, decided to cheer up all of them a bit. He went over and smacked Hatori on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Hatori-kun. I'm sure Yukina-chan would be fine after Kazuma-san comes back. Anyway, her destiny with us is not finished yet, and we still need to solve the mystery behind her past. I think that it's time for all of us to sleep," and he let off a big yawn to emphasize his point.

Hatori nodded, knowing that there was nothing more he could do except to pray that Yukina will recover sooner. He went over and tenderly carried her up to their bedroom. Before going up, he glanced at Shigure.

"Is it okay if I stay here for a few days, for I don't want to move Yukina-chan around too much?"

"Certainly, Hatori-kun, you are welcome to stay as long as you like," Shigure grinned, and said provocatively to Akito, "I'm afraid that there are no spare rooms ready at this moment, Akito. So, I think you have to share a room with me tonight."

Then, to the astonishment to all, both of them walked upstairs hand in hand, smiling at each other. Haru, Yuki, Kyou and Tohru shook their heads, feeling that there were too many odd happenings for a single night, and went to bed themselves.

"Yuki, my dear little brother, can I share a room with you tonight, pretty please?" Ayame clasped his hands together and gazed hopefully at Yuki.

Yuki was too worried about Yukina to argue with anyone else. He sighed and replied, "I guess I have no reason to refuse."

After that, everybody adjourned to their own rooms, and slept through the night peacefully. Hatori was the only one who had difficulty sleeping, unused to not having Yukina cuddling up to him at night. He kept staring at Yukina, wondering when she was going to regain consciousness, and jumped at every small sound, thinking that it was her.

"I want to know, whose voice is it that is capable of making you leave your life behind to chase after…is it somebody from your past?" he whispered to the motionless girl beside him, touching her face gently.


	9. Chapter 8

It had been nearly a week after the memorable New Year's Eve, and Yukina still have not woken up from her coma yet. Every day, Hatori will attend diligently to her, wiping her face, arranging her body in a comfortable position, and so on. Even when he was at his clinic, he would constantly worry about Yukina, wondering if she had shown any signs of waking up.

Besides that, Akito, who had hated Yukina before, came to visit her once in a while, praying that she will wake up, for she had an instinct that Yukina's power was the key to lift the curse from all the affected Soumas. On the other hand, the others too were worried about Yukina's condition, but they did not know how to help her.

On the seventh day Yukina lost her consciousness, they had almost given up hope that she would ever wake up in the near future. Hatori was beginning to lose hope too, but he continued praying and attending to Yukina, and slept with her every night.

It was afternoon, Kyou was lingering around the house with Haru and Shigure; Yuki was upstairs doing his revising in Hatori's room while keeping an eye on Yukina; Tohru went to Hana's house to visit her; while Hatori was busy at the clinic. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door, and Kyou, thinking that it was Tohru, went to open the door, while wondering why she got back so early.

Then, he had a great shock when he found out that the person standing in front of him was not Tohru, but his martial arts master and father figure – Kazuma Souma. The man of about forty with grey hair smiled warmly at him and opened his mouth.

"It has been quite a while, Kyou. Now, what was the matter you were summoning me so urgently for?" he inquired curiously.

Kyou could not hide his joy at seeing Kazuma, and clasped his hands. "Welcome, master…"

The old man reached out a hand and patted Kyou's head fondly. "You should not address me like that any more. I have a feeling that many incidents have happened here, would you tell me about it?"

Kyou nodded and invited Kazuma to the living room. There, he was greeted enthusiastically by both Haru and Shigure. The latter then began to relate everything he could remember to the older Souma. All the while, Kazuma listened attentively, but his expression changed slightly when Shigure mentioned Yukina's name.

However, he patiently waited until Shigure finished before asking earnestly, "The girl who was Akito's slave and later was founded by Hatori…what was her full name?"

Shigure detected something amiss, and replied, "Her full name is Yukina-Rei Jia, although we normally just call her Yukina-chan…why?"

Now, everybody could see that Kazuma was obviously flustered, which was extremely unusual for the old man.

"Where is she now? I…I want to see her immediately!" he demanded urgently.

Shigure gave him an odd look. "Yukina-chan is still unconscious, that's why we sent for you, for we hope that you might be able to call her back somehow. Hatori-kun would be heart-broken if even you could not do it," he added the last sentence with a wicked grin. "If you want to have a look at Yukina-chan, follow me."

Then, Shigure led Kazuma to the room Yuki and Yukina was in that time, followed by Kyou and Haru, who were interested to know what made their master so anxious and impatient to see Yukina.

Before going in, Shigure knocked at the door, knowing that Yuki was inside. Without waiting for his consent, he pushed the door open, and gestured towards Yukina, who was lying on a bed moved there for her.

Yuki was startled as he recognised his master, for he had not expected him to come. However, even more shocked was Kazuma himself. Astonishment and disbelief registered on his face, followed by an expression of pain and regret. He walked towards the bed and looked tenderly at Yukina.

"After so many years, you still look the same, Yukina-chan…"

Everyone in the room was astounded. "Master…you know her?" Kyou asked with amazement.

Reluctantly, Kazuma tore his eyes away from Yukina to look at all of them. "It's a very long story, and I desire for Hatori and Akito to be here while I tell you something that happened about thirty years in the past, which had some connection with the reason that I had never married until now."

The rest of the Soumas were impatient to hear what Kazuma got to tell them, but they knew that he would not start the story unless the audience he desired was present. Shigure went to phone Akito while Yuki contacted Hatori, telling both of them to come back as soon as possible.

On the second story of the house, and unknown to everyone else, Yukina was trying to pursue the voice she heard earlier in her mind.

" _Who are you…the person that spoke to me in my mind just now? I…I must find a way to remember you…although I don't know why…but it's very important…very…"_ she thought desperately. To her joy, the voice came again.

" _It's not necessary to remember who I am now, Althena."_

 _"_ _Althena…is that what 'A' in my card stands for?"_

 _"_ _Yes…or you prefer to be called 'Yukina' instead?"_ the voice sounded amused.

" _It does not make any difference which name you address me by, as long as I know that you are calling me…would you tell me who you are?"_

 _"_ _Now it's not the time yet…You have to be patient…please do it for me…Althena. I know you are able to do it…and please have faith in me, like I have faith in you…"_ the voice was tender and loving, and Yukina felt comforted.

" _But…why? I think…we were very close before I forgot everything…right?"_ Yukina asked hesitatingly.

" _Yes, Althena…I miss you too…and I promise to help you remember everything… when it's finally time for us to meet…you have waited for so long, just wait for…another few months, okay? Then, you can finally come back to where you belong…"_

 _"_ _I'm unwilling to wait…but because you asked me to, I will, no matter how painful it is for me, and no matter how much I suffered…"_ Yukina said softly, tears flowing down her cheek.

 _"_ _Thank you Althena…I know that you are strong enough…Besides, there is somebody on Earth, who loves you, though not in the same way I do…and I know you have deep feelings for him too,"_ the mysterious man sounded like he was smirking.

 _"_ _You mean…Hatori?"_ Yukina asked timidly.

 _"_ _Yes…but don't overthink it…whatever might happen between the two of you would already be predestined,"_ the man sighed.

Yukina's eyes widened at this and she blushed deep red. _"Eh?"_

 _"_ _Really…Althena…that's absolutely normal…but I need you to settle the person called Yuki…his feelings for you are deep too, but not as deep as Hatori's. That's why it should be easier to solve…"_

 _"_ _Huh…Yuki-kun has feelings for me too? But, we are just friends…"_ Yukina wondered if the person had misunderstood their relationship.

 _"_ _I am sure that Yuki loves you too…but he is not matured, nor strong enough to withstand the pressure to get in a relationship with you…"_

 _"_ _Okay…I will try to make it clear to him subtly…"_ Yukina promised.

 _"_ _I'm sorry…I have no choice but to go now…I can't be here for too long…be patient, my dear…and you should go back too…all of them are extremely worried about you…"_ he sounded resolute and urgent at the same time.

 _"_ _Yes…"_ Yukina obeyed him without any resistance, and she sucked a deep breath and whispered, _"Please take care of yourself well, although I still can't remember who you are…"_

 _"_ _I will, and you do the same too…till we meet then…and you will instinctively know me when we finally meet…"_ the voice faded away into nothing.

Slowly, Yukina opened her eyes to see that she was in her room, without anyone in sight. Needing some time to rest and think about what that happened just now, she closed her eyes and dozed off.

After about two hours, in which the rest of the Soumas at home were moving about restlessly, Hatori, Akito and Tohru had all rushed back to Shigure's house, eager to hear what Kazuma had to tell them. Then, everyone gathered in the living room and after taking a few sips from his tea, Kazuma started to narrate his story.

At the same time, Yukina heard the voices coming from downstairs, and she woke up, hurriedly wiping away the tears on her face for fear that others might notice and worry about her again. Silently, she made her way down the stairs, but stopped in mid-track when she saw a stranger in the midst of the Soumas and Tohru. No one noticed that she hid on the other side of the wall, having an instinct that the story is significant, and listening to it attentively.

"When I was small, the adults used to tell me this story. About one hundred years ago, the leader of the Souma clan was approached by a young man, who claimed to have come from the sky. He held a young girl in his arms, and entrusted everyone from the Souma family to take care of her. Before he left, he cast a spell on the girl, making her to always live between the ages from about fifteen to twenty five, and locked away her memories with him. His reason for doing this was that he hoped to make the girl's temporary stay at Earth as happy and delightful as possible, without worrying and thinking about him all the time."

At this point, Haru interrupted, "Why would the young man leave the girl here when he obviously loves her very much? And, who is that young man and that girl?"

Kazuma took another sip from his glass and continued, "The young man did not give us his name, but that is not quite relevant. On the other hand, the girl he left for us to take care of is none other than Yukina-chan. Oh, I forgot to mention that Yukina-chan's memories will kind of 'reset' themselves after she reaches twenty-five, and she would 'sleep' for a while and wake up as a fifteen year old again. When that happens, any one from the Souma would have to be extremely careful to take care of her properly and not lose her."

"The Souma family had handled the duty gave to us by the young man well in the first seven decades. There was an unspoken law in the family against falling in love with the young girl, however attractive and lovable she might be, because the person would be hurt when she 'reincarnates' like a phoenix, leaving their memories behind. Of course, it was not her fault that she did this; it was the young man's way of protecting her and ensuring her happiness. However, when she was passed to my generation, the adults were quite lax with taking care of Yukina-chan, and being the innocent, unaware teenager I was, I fell in love with her immediately."

On the other side of the wall, Yukina listened on to the partial narration of her forgotten past, heart growing heavy and heavier with each sentence said by Kazuma. She thought to herself, " _Why am I so weak…that everyone has to protect me?"_ She knew instinctively that the 'young man' in the story must be the same person talking to her in her mind just now.

Here, the teenagers shuffled uncomfortably, expecting something bad to happen in the story. Kazuma heaved a deep breath and continued, "We had a great time together, having fun all the time, going on dates and so on. However, once when we went on a vacation together, she got kidnapped and however relentlessly we searched for her, we never found her. I imagine that our ancestors were very angry, for this generation of the Soumas had not fulfilled their vow and duty to protect Yukina-chan. Since that tragic day, my grandfather was cursed by the vengeful cat spirit, and another spirit appeared before him, saying that twelve people from the next generation of the Souma clan would be cursed by each of the animals in the zodiac as punishment for allowing Yukina-chan to be kidnapped."

Kazuma paused here and looked around him. Everybody was quite heavy-hearted and the atmosphere in the room seemed to be covered with a cloud of gloom. Disregarding this fact, Kazuma went on with his narration.

"Being the hot-headed teenager I was, I put all the blame on my grandfather for not taking care of Yukina-chan properly, making me lose my love and so on. Besides, most of my cousins were married and some even having a child at that time. They were outraged at the fact that their children might be one of the cursed Soumas, just because this generation did not take care of Yukina-chan properly, and regrettably, they hated her deeply. However, there was a chance that we could lift the curse completely, and that is by retrieving Yukina-chan back to the family and ensuring that she is safe and sound until the young man comes to claim her back. Since then, I made a vow to myself, that I would not marry until I find Yukina-chan, for I was to be partly blamed too, as I should not fall in love with her in the first place."

The older Soumas accepted this story quite readily, as they were used to weird happenings. However, Kyou blurted out, "Master, do you mean that…Yukina-chan was the reason that we were cursed by the zodiac animals?"

To everybody's surprise, they heard a sudden sob from behind the wall. Guessing who it was immediately, Hatori leapt up from the couch and saw Yukina, crouching down there, crying her heart out. He quickly knelt beside her and held her in his arms.

He did not expect that Yukina would push him away, both hands covering her face now full of tears.

"I…I was the reason that all of you had to suffer so much pain and grief in the past…and you could not live like normal people…why…how could I hurt these innocent people in that way?" she cried in sorrow.

Kyou stood up and tried to explain. "Yukina-chan, I did not mean that you were the…I was just too surprised…it's completely not your fault that we were cursed…"

The others were talking to her at the same time. "It's not your fault…" "Please don't blame yourself…" Everyone was trying desperately to console the weeping girl in front of them.

Yukina was too distressed to listen to anybody, and she tore out of the house, running wildly without any specific direction. She just knew that she had to get herself as far away as possible from the Soumas, for she blamed herself entirely that they had to bear all the agony and sorrow as result of being cursed by the zodiac animals.

It took Hatori quite a moment to recover from his shock, and he went after Yukina at once. Yuki tried to go too, but he was held back by Shigure.

"I think only Hatori-kun is able to persuade Yukina-chan, Yuki," Shigure said gravely, knowing how much his words might hurt him.

Yuki's eyes flared, but he obeyed Shigure. Kazuma stared at them, needing some time to pull himself together.

"I see…I was not the only one to break the unspoken law then…" Kazuma chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation.

Outside, Yukina was running with all her might, very remorseful for harming the Soumas in that way. She ran and ran until she reached a nearby park, and stopped under a tree, totally out of breath. Easily, Hatori caught up with her, and pulled her close to him in silence.

"I'm sorry…Hatori…I did not deserve to be treated so well by everybody…I should be considered as the enemy of all Soumas…" Yukina struggled fruitlessly to get out of Hatori's arms.

Hatori was relieved to have caught up with Yukina, and was overjoyed to see her safe and well. Despite her struggling, he was able to seize her firmly in his arms. Slowly and gently, he took hold of her quivering chin in his long fingers, tilted her head up, and bent down to capture her lips.

Yukina was so startled that she forgot to struggle, and she gasped softly. With this, Hatori was able to ravish her lips, and his tongue slid deftly into her mouth, instantly setting both of their bodies aflame. All sanity was lost, as their tongues entangled with each other in a passionate, fiery kiss.

All of a sudden, Yukina realised that she should be running away from all the Soumas, Hatori included as she could not face the guilt. Again, she writhed in Hatori's strong grip, trying to escape. However, Hatori was unwilling to let her go again, and grasped her in a firm, unyielding hold.

He bent down and breathed into her ear, "Do you hate me so much, Yukina, that you can't bear the sight of me?"

Yukina looked up at him with a tear-streaked face. "No…you should be the one who hates me, Hatori. I was the one who forced you and Kana-san apart…and you weren't able to attend her wedding either…eh?"

She gasped once more; for Hatori had bent down further to kiss her on the neck, and had bit her gently, which sent an electric shock down her whole body.

"No…you are wrong. Because I separated from Kana, so I am able to accept you in my heart now. Did you forget, you were the one who told me that…as long as we can let go of the past, we are able to embrace the future…Besides, Kana is leading a happy life now…would you let me do the same, Yukina?" he whispered huskily.

"Do I have the ability to grant you the happiness you wish for, Hatori?" Yukina asked softly, clinging to Hatori quietly.

"I don't care…now, I just want you to stay by my side, and never leave me again, Yukina. I won't let you go anywhere out of my sight, not even to pursue the voice you heard just now…" Hatori muttered possessively and conquered Yukina's lips again.

Yukina gripped Hatori tighter; remembering the conversation she had with the mysterious person who would reclaim her to 'the place she belonged' soon.

"No…I can't give you false hope, Hatori…I can't be as selfish to do that when I'm still not sure where I was from, or what will happen from now on," Yukina looked up at him.

Then, she related the whole conversation with the mysterious man to Hatori, thinking that he would give up on her. To her surprise, Hatori just smirked and said:

"The person you were talking about…he did not tell you to leave me, right?"

Yukina stared at him and nodded wordlessly, wondering how he could be so calm after hearing her words.

"If he said that, then I am more than happy to wait…only if you would allow me to," Hatori said quite provocatively.

"But that would be unfair to you…I can't possibly risk hurting you again…" Yukina said quietly.

Hatori sighed, knowing that Yukina would not agree to his proposal right now. He laid his hand on her cheek and said:

"I think it would be better to discuss the matter after the man you told me about comes for you, Yukina. Now, we should go back, or else the others would be very worried about us."

Subsequently, he grasped Yukina's hand and led her firmly back to Shigure's house. There, everybody was waiting anxiously for their return, and looked eagerly at them, wondering what had happened out there between Hatori and Yukina.

Kazuma was the first to reach Hatori and Yukina, and he looked apprehensively at the latter, unsure whether she might still remember him.

"Yukina-chan…do you have any memories of me, however faint?" Kazuma asked.

Yukina frowned in concentration, looking at Kazuma, and to his disappointment, shook her head.

"I'm very sorry…Kazuma-san. I…I can't remember anything of the past…" Yukina apologised and bowed.

Kazuma smiled warmly at the girl in front of him and patted her head. "Its okay, Yukina-chan…In fact, I would be surprised if you did know me."

Despite his words, Hatori could see that Kazuma was clearly disappointed. However, he did not know how to cheer him up, so the three of them just walked into the house silently.

They were shocked to see that inside, Yuki and Kyou were fighting with each other, the former delivering blows swiftly and accurately. At the same time, Shigure, Tohru and Haru were trying to break them up in vain.

Immediately, Kazuma went over and took both of them effortlessly by the collars.

"What is going on here, Yuki, Kyou?" he asked with his eyes narrowed.

Yuki's eyes flared up. "This dim-witted cat here…he should not say things that might hurt Yukina-chan's feelings!"

Kyou turned red in the face. "I did not say that to hurt her, you idiot! I was just too surprised to know the truth behind the curse…"

Yukina ran over and stood in front of them.

"Please don't fight any more, Yuki-kun, Kyou-kun…I'm fine now, as you can see," and she forced a bright happy smile on her face.

The two stopped tussling around, and Kyou bowed to Yukina.

"I'm very sorry, Yukina-chan…it was never your fault that we had the curse in the first place…it was just an unlucky twist of events," he apologised.

"Please don't worry over it, Kyou-kun. I was startled myself too…and could not accept the fact, which filled me with guilt," Yukina said in a soothing voice. Abruptly, Hatori placed a question to Yuki.

"Yuki, when will school start?"

Surprised, the teenager answered, "In four days' time…"

Yukina heard that and noted it down. Then, she turned to look at Kazuma.

"Kazuma-san, did you say that the curse can be lifted after the family finds the girl…I mean me?" she asked with anticipation, hoping to release all of them from their long-lasting suffering.

Kazuma frowned. "That was what I heard from my grandfather…" and he glanced at the cursed Soumas in front of him. "Do you still feel the animal spirits inside your bodies?"

The others nodded silently, and Yukina wilted, not knowing how to help them even if they had finished their task of finding her once again.

"How…how can I lift the curse?" she asked quietly.

Kazuma pondered over this for a moment, and he first signalled to Shigure. Taking the hint, Shigure shooed Haru, Kyou, Yuki, Tohru upstairs, saying that they had something private to discuss, leaving only the grownups, which were Hatori, Ayame, Shigure, Kazuma, and Akito, as well as Yukina herself. Kazuma then replied Yukina's question.

"I think…maybe in the same way that you used your power on Hatori, Haru and Akito…just you need to expend a lot more power than you had, for we have thirteen cursed Soumas all together."

Hatori interrupted at this point. "I think we should all sit down and discuss this. Come on, Yukina," and he placed his arms around Yukina's shoulders to steer her to the couch. Then, he sat down and pulled Yukina to sit on his lap.

Everyone else was mystified to see his actions. Firstly, he did not call Yukina 'Yukina-chan' as usual, but just 'Yukina'. Furthermore, he seemed more strong-minded than before, and Shigure thought that he might have made up his mind about his feelings for Yukina.

Despite this, all of them followed Hatori to the living room, and sat down together. The first to speak was Yukina.

"Kazuma-san, do I have to lift the curse from everyone at once, or one by one?" she asked hesitatingly.

Kazuma cocked his head. "I think that…since they were all cursed at the same time, the curse can only be lifted if everyone related to the curse is present. However, do you think that you can be strong enough to do it, Yukina-chan?"

Yukina considered it for a while, and glanced at everybody. "I will try my best for everyone, no matter what happens…"

Hearing this, Hatori wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple, causing the girl to blush a deep red. Paying no attention to their actions, Kazuma continued calmly.

"I heard that you would be very weak after performing the act of healing on one person, so if we are to gather all thirteen Soumas together with the Akito, that makes it fourteen. If that is the case, your body as it is now might not be able to take it, and…there your life might be in danger, Yukina-chan…" he left the sentence hanging in mid-air, unsure of how to continue. A part of him wanted everyone to be free from the curse, and live happily after that; another part of him was unwilling to make the girl in front of him, who was also the person he loved before, sacrifice herself to lift the curse.

Unexpectedly, Yukina spoke again. "The curse had befallen the Soumas because of me, so I must be the one to lift it completely…for nobody else can do it. As soon as you can gather all the cursed Soumas, I will lift the curse from everyone, even if it takes my life," she said with an air of finality, eyes glowing.

Here, Akito interrupted, concerned. "But…it is too dangerous, Yukina-chan. We can't possibly allow you to endanger your life just because of…"

"Akito-san…all of you had led lives full of pain and grievance, and this is the least I can do to make it up to you, to let you lead happy lives in the future." She cut her words short.

Akito sighed, not knowing how to talk her out of this. She looked pleadingly at Shigure, who patted her hand soothingly but acted the opposite way of that she had hoped.

"If that is what you truly want, Yukina-chan, I will try to gather every one of the cursed Soumas at the main house on the Saturday after next, which is also the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar. This means that you have about two weeks to make your preparations," Shigure looked at Yukina, who nodded her approval.

Trying to cheer up the situation, Ayame clapped his hands and cheered. "Yukina-chan, you are so brave! My heart flutters just to think of it…" and his eyes shone brightly. Everyone else laughed at his antics, and forgot their troubles momentarily.

Then, he stood up, forcing Yukina to get up too, and both of them said their goodbyes to everyone else, who wished them a safe journey back. Subsequently, Akito, Ayame and Kazuma returned to their specific homes. Every person were happy and anxious at the same time – hoping that the Soumas might finally be released from the curse, but apprehensive whether it was correct to let Yukina shoulder the heavy burden of doing it.


	10. Chapter 9

After a short while, Hatori and Yukina had reached their home, which they had not seen for quite a long time. They went into the house and Hatori smiled warmly at Yukina, "It had been over a week since I came back here, Yukina."

She smiled back, "I…I miss home too…" and she was startled as Hatori cupped her face in his hands.

"Does your 'home' mean here, or it's another one you are talking about, Yukina?" he whispered into her ear.

Yukina's mind went a total blank, and she was temporarily incapable of thinking. "Here…I guess…"

Hatori was unsatisfied, and kissed her directly on the lips passionately but briefly.

"I want you…to give me a definite answer," and looked at her expectantly.

"I…I can't…please don't force me, Hatori…" Yukina said, tears running down her face.

"I'm sorry, Yukina…please don't cry," Hatori wiped away her tears and kissed her again, starting gently and turning into a fiery, passionate one, making them heat up despite the cold weather. Hatori gazed at the quivering girl in front of him, and his heart was filled with intense love and passion.

"You are the only thing I desire, and I don't care what people think or feel…" Hatori pulled Yukina forcefully close to him. She lost her balance and fell against his body, resulting in both of them tumbling onto the couch, with Yukina on top of Hatori.

Hatori groaned and stared at Yukina, whose face was scarlet. Their breath was ragged and their minds were clouded with the love they felt for each other.

"Yukina…if you are unprepared to do this, tell me now…or I will be unable to control myself…" he said, all the while fingers brushing against the nape of her neck caressingly.

To his surprise, Yukina just smiled at him from top of him, and relaxed so that her body was all but attached to his. She kissed him shyly and hesitatingly, while her eyes burned with ardour, heart thumping wildly.

Aggressively, Hatori seized her and rolled on top of her, and kissed her with all his soul. Only then he realised that they were still in his living room, and the couch was too small for the both of them.

It was a miracle that both of them ever made it to the bedroom, as Hatori could not refrain from taking possession of her lips, while his hands roamed over her body, which was small in comparison to his. Before they reached the bedroom, Hatori pinned Yukina against the wall and ran his fingers sensually up and down her body, causing a soft moan to escape from her mouth.

In truth, Hatori was having a strong conflict within himself. The impulsive side of him told him to take possession of Yukina immediately, while the rational side told him to calm down and let go of Yukina, for she was only sixteen years old. Naturally, the impulsive part of him won the fight, and he carried Yukina into the bedroom to lay her down on the bed.

On the bed, olive green eyes clashed with hazel orbs as Hatori tore away her clothes impatiently. After she came out of her shock, she too started to undo the buttons on Hatori's shirt, and finally, his pants.

At last, all of their clothes were strewn on the floor, and their bodies entwined and united with each other, while their hands and lips were all over each other, the silent music of which only lovers could hear playing in their minds, and finally, the great long sigh as it all ended, with both of them sharing the night together with only the blankets as cover from the wind brought by the turning fan, which wordlessly witnessed everything that had happened in this room. If it had feelings, it would be happy for Hatori, who had finally found somebody he could be happy with, regardless of how short the time might be for both of them to be together.

The next day, Hatori woke up before Yukina, and he took time to admire her sleeping form, which was bare underneath the covers. Her hair was slightly dishevelled, and her arms were wrapped around his neck, while her legs entangled with his. To his interest, he noticed a mark on her back, which resembled nothing that he had seen before. It was a circular mark, with an intricate and complicated design, black in colour and contrasting with her fair, smooth skin.

Then, his eyes travelled lower to find a small red stain on the bed sheet, and he gasped, guessing that Yukina must still be a virgin before he had the intimate relationship with her the night before. Slowly and gently, he reached to hold her chin, and bent his head forward to kiss her.

Right away, her eyes opened, and she gasped softly as she remembered the actions she had shared with Hatori the previous night. Timidly, she reached out a hand to touch his face.

"Hatori…"

"Good morning, Yukina," Hatori smirked at the blushing girl, his hand still on her flushed face.

Yukina did not reply, but just closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest, loving every minute she spent together with Hatori. Hatori patted her back and asked, "Yukina, do you know that you have a mark on your back?"

Surprised, Yukina opened her eyes and shook her head, looking at him curiously. Then, Hatori got up from the bed; an act that made Yukina blushed deeper, if it was possible, for he was not wearing anything underneath.

Calmly and deliberately, as though as he knew that Yukina was watching him, he rummaged around his closet and put on a pair of boxers. After that, he turned to Yukina and smirked again.

"Is it better this way, Yukina?"

Not waiting for a reply, he went to take a small mirror and walked over to the bed. He got on it and placed the mirror so that it reflected the mark on Yukina's back. Yukina felt a shock run through her body as she saw the mark, which seemed familiar and foreign at the same time.

Hatori watched her intently, observing the train of emotions that ran through her face. Finally, Yukina sat up, holding the blankets close to cover her exposed body. With a mischievous smile, Hatori tried to yank the covers from her, which she defended as though it was her life.

Seeing that he could not remove the covers from Yukina, Hatori simply pulled the whole bundle – Yukina and blankets, into his arms. A little embarrassed, Yukina pouted at him, but her traitorous body ached for his touch, his kiss, his everything…and she gave in to his demanding caresses and strokes.

It ended with both of them panting after a moment full of exhilarating movements and touches. Hatori then looked so tenderly at the breathless Yukina in front of him that it almost made her shiver.

"There is no way I can talk you out of doing it, right?" he asked quietly.

Yukina understood the vague question and traced a finger down his chest gently.

"That is the only way I can repay the Soumas for taking care of me for almost a hundred years…"

"What if…what if you die in the process?" he looked sadly at her determined expression.

Yukina smiled, but her heart was aching inside, "I won't die, for I know that you are still here waiting for me…" In reality, she knew that the possibility of her dying was high, because the action would need more energy than she had, but she could not possibly tell that to Hatori, for he would try to prevent her from using her powers.

"Then…promise me…that you would come back to me, no matter what happens…" Hatori ran a long, cold finger down her cheek.

Yukina nodded silently, biting back the tears that threatened to run out of her eyes. She treasured every moment that she could have together with Hatori, for she had an instinct that they might not be able to see each other again after the curse-lifting ritual.


	11. Chapter 10

In a flash, three days had passed, and it was time for Yukina to start going to Kaibara High. She was elated and nervous at the same time, and her heart was wavering as she dressed in the uniform, packed the things that Hatori bought for her into her bag, and got into Hatori's car to go to school.

Once she reached, she was greeted enthusiastically by Tohru and the others, who had been expecting her. Hatori left, relieved and knowing that they would help to take care of Yukina. That time, it was snowing, and Yuki frowned up to the sky.

Noticing it, Yukina asked curiously, "What's wrong, Yuki-kun?"

Yuki smiled softly, "It's nothing…just that I'm wondering why the snow had not stopped yet…it should be melting by this time of the year…"

Yukina heard his answer, and she had a flashback to when she healed Hatori from his guilt and pain.

 _"_ _The snow is actually the tears of people forced to separate from each other…"_

And she wondered where she heard this legend from. Her memories then flew back to the conversation she had with the mysterious man from her past, and she thought with a start.

 _"_ _Maybe the snow lasts so long because…after it melts, I can finally reunite with him…"  
_

By then, the others had noticed that Yukina was spacing out, and she did not react even when Haru waved his hand in front of her face. Grinning, he jumped loudly and abruptly in front of her, giving her a big shock.

She cried out in surprise, drawing attention from the other students around them. They started to whisper to each other excitedly when they saw this new face in the chuckling group. Instantly, many pairs of hostile eyes stared at Yukina, belonging to the fan girl club of 'Prince Yuki', the nickname for the popular Yuki, who was the heart throb of almost every girl in the school.

However, they relaxed slightly as they observed that Yukina was not particularly close to Yuki, and she just chatted around with everyone else. Suddenly, a whirlwind with blond hair flew into the corridors and threw itself into Tohru's arms.

"TOHRU-CHAN, I MISSED YOU SO MUCH DURING THE HOLIDAYS!" it shouted excitedly.

Tohru smiled back at the girlish boy in her arms, and replied, "I missed you very much too, Momiji-chan."

Then, the person called Momiji stared curiously at Yukina, who stared equally curiously back.

"Have I seen you anywhere before? You look extremely familiar…" he asked shyly.

Yukina bowed slightly and smiled, "Momiji-san…I think you must be one of the Soumas…I'm Yukina-Rei Jia or Yukina for short…"

"Eh…" Momiji was surprised how she recognised him as a Souma even though it was the first time they met each other.

Yuki intervened, "It's a long story, Momiji. Why don't you follow us? I will explain everything the best I can…"

Happily, Momiji walked together with the group, while Yuki described briefly the circumstances they were in now. After he finished, Momiji stared at the shy Yukina, who was also their hope for cure and salvation.

"Yukina-chan…you are so adorable!" Momiji turned and gave the surprised girl a big bear hug.

Startled, Yukina smiled warmly at Momiji. "Thanks…Momiji-kun."

The ice between them was broken and in a brief moment, Yukina and Momiji became close friends after chatting with each other. Observing that, Kyou smirked and said to Tohru, "I don't think I need to worry about Momiji stealing my girl away any more."

Tohru blushed at this and gave him a playful hit on the shoulder. Before they knew it, they had already arrived at Yuki's classroom, which both Yuki and Yukina would be in for the rest of the year. On the other hand, Kyou and Tohru, being just fair in their studies, would be in the opposite class, while Haru and Momiji were in the same class, a year lower than the rest.

Yuki turned to glance at Yukina. "This would be our class, Yukina-chan."

Then, they said their goodbyes to the others, and they went to their respective classes. The teacher was already inside the class, and he recognised Yukina, being the one who gave her the qualifying test.

"Ah…Yukina, you are here. Would you mind coming over to give me some of your personal details?"

Before the school reopened, the principal had already briefed the teachers on the newcomer, and they were aware to be more cautious when they were teaching, as not to disturb Yukina's emotions.

Obediently, Yukina walked over, and gave the teacher, Shinto-san all the details he wanted. The teacher smiled kindly at her and said, "I understand your problem, so just give me your name, birthday, and address. The others, like parents' name…anything that you don't recall you can just leave it out. Besides, it would be a good idea if you introduce yourself as someone who had just moved here from a foreign country, Yukina."

Yukina smiled gratefully at the understanding teacher and then went to sit beside Yuki, who had already saved a place for her. She was grateful to Yuki for taking care of her, or else she would have been very lonely and afraid in this new environment. Suddenly she remembered what the mysterious man told her, that Yuki had feelings for her…

She gazed at Yuki, who smiled kindly back at her, and wondered about the truth in his words. However, she was determined not to hurt any Soumas any more, and began to form a plan in her mind.

After a few hours of studying, it was recess time. Together, Yuki and Yukina made their way out of the class, making conversation about what the teacher taught just now. Suddenly, Yukina stopped in mid-track, and looked straight at Yuki.

"Umm…Yuki-kun, may I say something?" Yukina asked shyly.

Yuki glanced at her curiously, and nodded.

"Uh…thanks for being so kind to me, you are like my brother, the brother I never had," she added hurriedly.

" _She had already chosen Hatori-kun…"_ Yuki thought to himself, heart growing heavy.

Then, she saw the flash of shock and pain run through his eyes, and she quickly tried to cheer him up using her powers. As she tried to summon her powers, she continued to speak to him.

"I said this because…I had a feeling that I can trust you with anything. Besides, you seem to be one of the few that I can talk normally to, and I really enjoy the time we spend together…" as she spoke, she channelled her energy into her words, comforting him, and was relieved to see Yuki smile once again.

"Of course, Yukina-chan, I am delighted to have such a cute little sister," he said to her, smiling radiantly.

Then, the both of them smiled happily and continued to walk to the cafeteria, where the others were already there waiting for them. Momiji waved excitedly at them as soon as he caught a glimpse of them, and they went to sit together at their table.

All of them had an enjoyable recess time chatting with each other while eating.

"Yuki-kun, are you starting to get busy with your student council activities?" Tohru asked over the table.

Yuki swallowed his mouthful of food before replying, "No…but I'm thinking of who to choose for the place of treasurer, since the former treasurer had graduated…"

Suddenly, Tohru clasped her hands together, planning to do a little bit of matchmaking between Yuki and a girl in Momiji's and Haru's class. Everyone at the table glanced curiously at her, and she laughed.

"Oh…it's nothing, I just thought that maybe Machi-chan would be very suitable for the position of treasurer, Yuki-kun," she nudged Momiji silently, hinting at him.

"Oh yes, Machi-san is also the treasurer in our class," Momiji interrupted excitedly, "In fact, she is very hardworking and responsible too…I really think that you should pick her for your treasurer, Yuki-kun."

Before waiting for his agreement, Momiji signalled at Machi, who was eating at a nearby table and motioned for her to come over. Questioningly, she came over and blushed when she saw that Yuki was at the table too.

"What's the matter, Momiji-san?" she asked while staring at the grounds.

"Ah, Machi-san, Yuki-kun was wondering whether you would agree to be the treasurer of the student council this year…" Momiji grinned at Yuki, whose eyes were flashing at him across the table.

Machi was startled, and glanced at Yuki.

"You would really accept me to be the treasurer?" she asked shyly.

To ease her uneasiness, Yuki smiled kindly at her, and replied, "I would be glad if you would agree to accept the position, Machi-san."

To Machi, it was like a dream come true, for she had been rather attracted to the pale-skinned, handsome Yuki for quite a long time, and she nodded happily. The others, including Yukina, were watching the charade with interest, quite aware of what was going on.

 _"_ _It's great…Yuki-kun has somebody that he can be happy with…"_ Yukina thought to herself, relieved.

After a while, the bell rang, and all of them went back to their respective classes to continue their studies.

In this carefree, trouble-free style, the days passed one by one for Yukina and the others, and finally, the day that Yukina promised to lift the curse from the cursed Soumas had arrived.


	12. Chapter 11

That crucial day was a Saturday, and everyone was free to go to the ritual. In the morning, Hatori and Yukina was preparing for the event. While Yukina was dressing up, Hatori walked over to her and hugged her from behind.

"Promise me that you will not give up your life in any circumstances," he whispered into her ear.

Yukina held his hands, which were in front of her, and said, "I will promise you, Hatori, but I value the freedom of all of you than my life…"

There was a glint in her eyes that signified that she would not change her mind about the matter, and not wanting to hear any more, Hatori kissed her deeply on the lips, while wondering if this would be the last time they had the chance to talk to each other in this fashion.

Reluctantly, they separated from each other, and Yukina went to fetch a hooded cape that she bought earlier. The idea was suggested by Hatori, for the less people that recognised her, the more she would be able to lead a normal life in the future. Besides, Yukina did not want to let the other teenagers to know that she would be doing this, for they too might try to prevent her, and she needed all her energy to lift the curse, rather than waste her energy arguing with them.

She put on the cloak and pulled on the hood, shielding her face from view, which was exactly what she wanted. On the other hand, Shigure informed all the cursed Soumas to gather at the shrine of the main house, saying that they were just having a gathering of the twelve animals, and it was Akito's wish.

After that, Hatori and Yukina went to the shrine, where Shigure and Akito were doing some preparations. Akito smiled hesitatingly at Yukina as she saw her.

"Yukina-chan…it's not too late, you can still refuse to do this…it's too dangerous," she said pleadingly.

Yukina held up a hand, "I'm sorry, Akito-san, but I have already decided…"

Akito sighed and gestured towards the plaques arranged neatly on a slab.

"These are the memorials of our ancestors, for I have an instinct that the curse was brought onto us by them, Yukina-chan…"

She nodded, and then followed Shigure to a room at the back of the shrine, where she would wait until everybody arrived before she showed herself.

One by one, the rest of the Soumas arrived and gathered at the Souma main shrine. They whispered to each other excitedly, wondering what was the reason they were summoned her on this day. From the back, Yukina could recognise Yuki, Kyou, Haru, and Momiji from the ones who looked younger. Besides, she also saw Hatori, Shigure and Ayame from the grownup side.

Staring curiously, she could see a pair of children, a boy and a girl, holding hands while looking around apprehensively. From her instincts, she guessed that they must be cursed by the tiger and the ram. Then, she saw a dark, gorgeous girl with long black hair talking to Haru, and immediately thought of a beautiful black stallion. Besides, she saw a man with reddish-brown hair, a woman with long blondish hair, and a girl with dark brown hair, and perceived them as the rooster, the monkey, and the boar respectively.

In her heart, she did a mental count, and found that everybody had arrived. Taking a deep breath, she gestured to Akito, who started to welcome them.

"Everyone, today I gathered all of you here to perform a ritual…I have found someone that is hopefully able to lift the curse from each and every one of us, so that our future would not be stained by it, and we can pursue our own dreams and desires without being dragged down by the past…"

A murmur rose in the area, from the people who did not know that Yukina was the person Akito was talking about. They were elated with the thought of being free from the curse once and for all, and could not quite contain their excitement.

Slowly, Yukina came into the shrine, taking care to conceal herself properly with the cloak. The others fell silent, watching her closely.

She walked in front of the plaques of their ancestors, and muttered something like an incantation, with a hand on her heart. In a moment, a strong wind blew into the shrine, although the doors and windows of the shrine were securely closed.

To those who did not know who was concealed under the cloak, they were shocked as the wind blew stronger and stronger until it whipped the hood off Yukina's face. All of them gasped, as some of them recognised Yukina, but the others gasped because they found out that the person supposed to lift the curse from them was actually just a young girl.

"How is she supposed to lift the curse from us…she is even younger than I am, and I have been trying for so long…" this came from Isuzu Rin Souma, as she stared suspiciously at Yukina. However, she was hushed by Haru, who was standing beside her, and he smiled at her.

"Rin…try to relax and let others shoulder the burden for a change. I assure you, if anyone is capable of doing that, it would be Yukina," Haru whispered, putting an arm around her lightly.

Rin became silent and looked at the cloaked girl in front of her, whose face was now revealed.

At the same time, Hatori was giving his full concentration on Yukina, who was turning paler and paler by the second. It appeared that she was doing her very best to summon the power hidden deep inside her, and he worried that it will cause some harm to her body.

Slowly, ten minutes passed, and the Soumas began to stir uneasily. Suddenly, a translucent figure formed in front of the plaques of their ancestors.

"Grandfather?" gasped Kazuma, who was watching the scene from behind.

The others in the room started, as they saw the translucent figure forming the image of an old man that only Kazuma could recognize.

"Yukina-chan…you have returned at last…" the figure started to speak in a soft, silvery voice.

"Yes…you have fulfilled your duty and vow to protect me. Now, you can finally rest in peace…thanks for all you have done for me…" Yukina looked straight at Kazuma's grandfather and said.

Then, she bowed down low to the spirit, and it returned the bow.

"You are welcome…I must fulfil the promise my ancestors left me, Yukina-chan. you must have had much suffering in the past…" he looked at her gently.

Yukina shook her head. "No…I'm very happy now, and I have already forgotten the past…today I'm here to lift the curse from your descendants…can you help me with it?"

Only then, the spirit realised that his descendants were all around him, staring with wonder.

"I'm afraid that I can't manage it, Yukina-chan. The curse was not cast by me, but by my ancestors as punishment to us for lacking in promises. Thanks for releasing me from my guilt, Yukina-chan…I have to leave Earth now and rest in solitude somewhere else…goodbye…" the spirit waved and smiled, finally able to have his mind at rest from losing the "thing" his ancestors had to protect.

Yukina tried to stop him, but she was too late. Now, she had only herself to lift the curse, and she was going to do it, no matter what might happen. She stared around at the uneasy faces around her, and she felt her powers increasing by a surge of desire to help them.

Finally, she sensed her energy overpowering the resentment radiating from the animal spirits within each of the Souma, and a wind blew into the shrine again. However, this time it was a soft, soothing wind, different from the one just now. She channelled her power into the thoughts of pacifying and dispersing the vengeful animal spirits, feeling her own life force growing weaker.

At last, she threw her arms in front of her, and everyone could see a bright light spreading out to them, covering and dazzling them.

"This family had carried out their duty, now it's your turn to forgive them…please; this is my desire…everyone…"

Gradually, all the cursed Soumas could feel the animal spirits leaving their bodies, turning into transparent animal figures as they left. Hatori removed his eyes from Yukina to look at his own animal that had possessed him for such a long time. He got the shock of his life as he found out that it was not a small puny seahorse as usual, but a strong, full-grown dragon that whipped its tail left and right as it left.

 _"_ _Since it is your wish, we shall leave their bodies, but we won't tolerate another lapse, and all of you would do well to remember it…"_ it was the words left by the god and his animals as they floated away into the sky.

Yukina had exhausted the last of her energy in convincing the animal spirits to leave the bodies of the thirteen cursed Soumas together with the 'god' that possessed Akito. Once she finished, she coughed out a mouthful of blood, staining the floor of the shrine bright red and fell to the floor, unconscious.


	13. Chapter 12

Unknown to those in the shrine, the snow outside was finally melting. On the streets, a young man dressed in a black shirt with a jacket hanging loosely from his shoulders was walking gravely.

 _"_ _It has been such a long time…would the Souma family be able to keep their promise?"_ he thought to himself, ignoring the curious stares he got from the passers-by on the road, for his appearance was strikingly different from the locals.

The lad had a tall and strong figure, with a stunningly gorgeous face. His dark eyes were a sharp electric blue, his nose was firm and he had shoulder length hair of a silvery blue colour.

 _"_ _I wonder where she is…"_

At the same time Yukina used her power, the man felt the vibration coming from the shrine, and he moved swiftly to the building. Without knocking on the door, he barged straight into the shrine at the very moment Yukina fell into a dead faint on the floor.

"Althena!" he yelled and sprinted to her side. He placed a hand on her chest and then shot a furious glance at everybody else, making them shrivel up inside.

"I assume you are from the Souma family. Who is the leader of the clan?" he asked coldly without introducing himself.

Timidly, Akito moved forward and presented herself.

"I am the leader of the Soumas…may I know who you are?"

His eyes flared up and he replied, "I entrusted Althena in your care, so how could you allow her to use her power without my presence?"

Before Akito could reply, Hatori held up his hand and interrupted the conversation.

"Are you the one Yukina was talking about? The person who was talking to her when she was unconscious?"

The man narrowed his eyes and looked closely at Hatori.

"Yes, I am the one, and you must be the Souma closest to her, from what I have heard," he answered.

The others watched on in interest as the two men appraised each other coolly, and had a shock when they suddenly smiled at each other cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you at last, I'm Hatori Souma," Hatori began to introduce himself.

"It's my pleasure, Hatori-kun. You can call me Evan or Kyosuke, like how Althena is also Yukina," the blue-eyed man replied.

Shigure could not stand the peculiarity anymore and he waved a hand between the both of them, getting their attention.

"Hey, would you mind telling me what is going on here?" he asked.

Hatori grinned and started to explain. "It's quite a long story, Shigure, but we knew each other through Yukina…I will explain all of it later."

Speaking about Yukina, Hatori suddenly remembered that she was wounded from her actions, and he turned to see that Rutherford was already tending to her. Quickly, he went to kneel by her side and check her pulse, which was beating normally, to his heart's relief.

Together, Hatori and Rutherford brought Yukina back to the Souma main house, which was only a few hundred metres away. They laid her down on a bed, and Rutherford grasped Yukina's hand tightly in his, secretly transferring his energy to her.

In the meantime, the others were celebrating the fact that they were finally free from the zodiac curse, but only after ascertaining that Yukina was well taken care of. To the males' annoyance, most of the girls found the mysterious newcomer, Evan to be extremely appealing and attractive, for his dark eyes and stern expression charmed all of them.

After a while, Yukina opened her eyes, still weak and drained. She saw Evan at her side, also exhausted from transferring his energy to her. Gently, she reached out a hand to touch his face.

At the very first moment she set eyes on him, all her locked memories from her past flooded back into her mind. A century ago, Evan Rutherford as the prince of the sacred tribe Ceres that came from the sky was forced to do battle with their life-long enemy, the Strata tribe. Before it happened, they had led a happy and blissful life with each other as company.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Rutherford sensed her touch and looked straight at her. His eyes held an unfathomable expression as he stared at her, silently questioning whether she could still remember his name, as he had not disclosed it to her the time they met in their thoughts.

"Evan…my dear brother…" Yukina said weakly. Nevertheless, the soft sound found its way to his ears, and he moved forward to hug her tightly.

"So you can remember…although I haven't lifted the spell from you yet," he spoke, deeply touched.

"Of course…" Yukina broke free from his embrace and glared at him. "Are you trying to test me, Evan Rutherford?"

He chuckled, noticing that Yukina or Althena as he called her had not changed one bit in the way she treated him even after a hundred years have passed.

"I'm very sorry, my dear. I just wanted to know whether you could remember me after one hundred years…you are still the impertinent sister I have. By the way, Hatori-kun and the others are waiting for us downstairs, very anxious and concerned about your state of health, Althena."

Yukina poked out her tongue but did not pursue the subject, and with the help of Rutherford, she made her way to the living room, where everybody greeted her with joy and relief.

Once they had settled down, Rutherford began to explain everything that had been haunting all of their minds, including Hatori, of his and Yukina's past.

"I know all of you have many questions, but I will start with our introduction first," he gestured to himself and Yukina.

"I am Rutherford, from the Ceres tribe in the sky. Those of us living in the sky have eternal lives, unless it is taken away by force, then we would have no choice but to die. My sister, Althena, or Yukina here…we have always been together, just she and me living up there. Our bond is almost like the Yin-Yang concept, where she is the negative energy and I'm the positive, and we will always be together."

"In the sky, we learn everything there is to know about Earth, except one: the different races and cultures. I guess this would explain why Althena was able to communicate with you easily, as well as her knowledge in different fields. When one has been living for so long, one tends to know almost everything. We lived happily together until one day; I was summoned to a battle between my tribe and a rival tribe called Strata that came from beneath Earth, or more commonly known as hell. The battle was estimated to last for a year, and as I have to leave Althena behind, I don't want her to be lonely, nor I want her to worry about me every day that I am not with her. Therefore, I made the decision to send her down to earth for that year that I'm away."

Here, he paused for a short while, drawing his breath, and Yuki interrupted.

"Rutherford-san, you said that the battle only lasted for a year, so why did you send Yukina-chan to Earth for so long?"

"Ah…I forgot to tell you that the time goes by in different speed on Earth and up in the sky. The ratio is about one to a hundred, so I sent Althena here for a century, according to your time."

"Why did you choose this family, and not others?" Kazuma asked the inquiry that had been on his mind for a long time.

Rutherford grinned and answered, "That is because in the few times I had come down to Earth, I encountered your ancestors and became good friends with them. Then, I asked for their help to take care of Althena when I was enlisted for battle. Besides, I checked, and I found out that this family's compatibility with Althena was the highest compared to the other families I had in mind. Did that answer your question, Kazuma-san?"

Kazuma was startled as to how Rutherford knew his name, but quickly brushed it aside, for Rutherford clearly was a careful planner when it came to matters that concern Yukina.

"Then, I guessed you must have heard about how her memories will reset themselves after a certain period of time. Now, it is your turn to tell me…why did Althena use her powers just now?"

At this, everybody chattered at once with the exception of Hatori, who moved closer to Yukina and put an arm around her.

"How are you feeling, Yukina?" he asked softly. Yukina just smiled and leaned on him, enjoying the feeling of warmth and security he brought.

On the other hand, Kazuma was narrating the story his ancestors passed on to him to Rutherford, who was quite astonished to know that Yukina had actually went missing before coming back to the Souma family.

"…so that is what happened, Rutherford-san," Kazuma finished.

"I see…so I had made the right choice in leaving Althena in your care then," Rutherford relaxed and smiled, making him seem all the more alluring.

"Uh…now that you have returned from battle, what are you going to do with Yukina-chan?" Yuki asked hesitatingly, being unable to contain the question.

Rutherford eyed Yuki interestedly. _So this is the boy who has feelings for Althena…_ he thought.

"Evidently, we would return to the sky to continue living together, Yuki-san," he smirked slightly, and Yukina sensed the change in the atmosphere. She got up of her comfortable position in Hatori's arms and went to sit beside Rutherford, laying a hand on his warningly.

"I…I have not decided whether to continue staying here or going back, Yuki-kun. But, my destiny lies in the sky, and so I must go back eventually," she said softly, her tone carrying a hint of apology.

"I think Yukina has enough for tonight, everyone. Yukina, Rutherford, we should go home now," Hatori stood up, breaking up the conversation, and the three of them returned to Hatori's house, leaving behind the rest staring after them wonderingly.

After they arrived, Hatori and Rutherford helped Yukina to the couch and all three of them sat down. Rutherford took off his shirt and Hatori was surprised to see the same mark he saw on Yukina's back on the exactly same place on Rutherford's body. Then, he deduced that it must be a symbol of their clan, and did not ask about it.

"You are extremely observant and quick to catch up on things, Hatori-kun," Rutherford grinned. "Will you be reluctant to let Althena return to her rightful place?"

Hatori looked at Rutherford, his eyes betraying nothing.

"That is the choice of Yukina, and it is not for me to decide for her," he replied steadily, his eyes on Yukina all the while.

Now, Yukina was caught in a real dilemma. She loved both Hatori and Rutherford, the former being the one to save her and shower her with love, and the latter was the reason she existed for. Rutherford saw her expression and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Althena, I will not force you to separate from each other…" Rutherford then looked at Hatori. "However, Hatori-kun, you must prove yourself worthy to be with Althena before you can be with her forever."

Hatori narrowed his eyes at Rutherford.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Let's see…I mean that you will be sort of put on probation for about two weeks…do you accept the challenge?"

"Of course, Rutherford," Hatori answered promptly. _"Anything to be with Yukina…"_ he added silently.

"Is it really necessary, brother?" Yukina beseeched.

"Yes, my love…did you forget that one must prove his worth before being able to live in the sky?" Rutherford patted her head gently. "If you are so worried, then you can help him, Althena."

Yukina's eyes brightened up.

"Okay then." She smiled happily.


	14. Chapter 13

Although Rutherford said that he would "assess" Hatori, nothing actually happened in that few days. Yukina and Hatori were quite relieved, but little did they know the test was arriving soon…in the form of an old acquaintance.

On that eventful day, Rutherford was watching television in the living room, while Hatori and Yukina were loitering in the garden, enjoying the spring sun. Suddenly, they saw a woman running towards the house, very out of breath.

Curiously, Hatori got up and opened the gate to see who she was. To his astonishment, the woman smiled brightly at seeing him, and tears flowed down her eyes. Unexpectedly, she ran towards him and hugged him tightly.

"I…I had already remembered everything, Hatori…" the woman said.

Yukina was staring at the scene, wondering who the woman was, and suddenly her memories flew back to a few months ago, when she cured Hatori of his blindness in his left eye. Could this woman be…?

"Kana! What happened?" Hatori asked the woman in his arms, clearly startled.

Yukina then thought of something. Rutherford had always been very protective of her, so could this be his doing? She wondered and looked into the house, but she could not see Rutherford anywhere.

Suddenly, she felt his presence behind her, and Rutherford's voice came whispering into her ear, while his hands were on her shoulders, preventing her from going to where Hatori was.

"Althena, don't worry, for this is just a test…" he said softly, not loosening his grip on her.

Yukina narrowed her eyes at him.

"I suspected that this might be your deed, brother…what actually are you trying to do?"

"I just wanted to see if Hatori-kun would be able to make the correct decision at the right time, you do know that I cannot simply allow anyone to be a member of our tribe, right?" Rutherford smirked a little, noticing that the way Yukina treated him was different from the way she treated Hatori.

Then, the two of them quietened down, paying attention to the exchange between Kana and Hatori.

"I was tidying up the house when I came across a picture of both of us, Hatori. Now I remember everything…can we pick up from where we have lost, now that you are free from the curse?" Kana asked in a quivering voice, holding tightly on to Hatori. Yukina averted her glance, unable to bear the sight of someone else being in Hatori's embrace.

However, Hatori prised Kana's fingers off him one by one.

"I'm very sorry, Kana, but the past is the past, and we have to move on. You are already married, and I have found someone I can be happy with…" he pushed her away gently.

"But…the only person I had loved in my life is you, Hatori…are you so cruel as to push me away, when you were the one who locked my memories?" Kana cried out, sobbing loudly. "You loved me too, right? That's why you stood in when Akito was going to punish me, isn't it?"

Something in Hatori's conviction faltered as his old, pent-up emotions about the incident came flooding into him. Kana buried her face into Hatori's chest, while he just stood rooted to the spot, unable to react.

"Kana…"

"I'll get a divorce, this is what we deserve, when finally nothing will stand in between us any more, Hatori."

A single, solitary tear rolled down Yukina's right cheek as she heard their exchange. She broke free from Evan's grasp and turned back, intending to go quietly into the house and pack up her belongings. However, her sudden movement seemed to jolt Hatori into action.

Calmly and surely, Hatori strode towards Yukina, and grabbed her arm, while Rutherford watched on in interest.

"This is the one I love, and decided to spend my life with, no matter what happens. She is the one who taught me that one does not need to forget in order to be happy, they just have to accept the thing that happened and keep on trying hard to live. She is the one who melted the winter in my heart once again…" he kissed away the tears on her face.

"Besides, since I saw her for the first time, I had sworn to protect her even if it means that I have to risk my own life, and I cannot bring myself to hurt her however slightly, Kana. Please forgive me, for we cannot go back to the past…"

Until now, Yukina had been listening to Hatori, deeply touched by his words. She broke free from Hatori's arms and went towards Kana.

"Kana-san, I know that you have been an important person in Hatori's life, I and appreciate you greatly for everything you have done to make him happy…please understand that nobody, not even I can move back in time, and I wish you happiness with your husband forever…" as she said, she used her healing powers once again, comforting Kana and giving her the redemption she seek desperately.

"I understand now…thank you, Yukina-chan. Thank you for freeing all the cursed Soumas so that they can live as normal people again," Kana hastily wiped away her tears and expressed her gratitude.

Then, she left the place quickly, leaving behind a smiling Rutherford, a relieved Yukina and a mystified Hatori.

"You have just recovered…and should not use your powers, Yukina," Hatori chided her gently. However, she just smiled.

"It is my duty to put to right all the mistakes I have caused, Hatori. This is the only way I can express my apologies and gratitude to the Souma family…" Yukina started but Hatori put a finger to her lips and entwined her in his arms

"How many times I must tell you, it is not your fault in any way…and the best part is – I get to meet you, which is something that I won't regret in my entire life…" Hatori smiled softly at her.

Rutherford then walked over them and patted Hatori on the back genially.

"Congratulations, Hatori-kun. You have passed the test and earned the entitlement to become a member of clan Ceres, that is, if you accept the offer…" he looked straight at Hatori seriously.

Hatori nodded, trying to ignore the nagging feeling inside him. However, he could not withstand the curiosity and finally asked.

"Why I was the only one allowed to become a member of Ceres? You should know as well as I do, that I am not the only one attached to Yukina…"

Rutherford considered this for a moment.

"Ah…but you were the first one Yukina truly fell in love with on Earth. Besides, if I am not wrong, you were possessed by the dragon but transformed into a seahorse instead, right?"

Again, Hatori nodded, and Rutherford continued.

"The seahorse is the young of the dragon, and when it is strong enough to grow up and mature, it will become a real, full-grown dragon and rise to the sky…and I assume that when the animal spirit left your body, it was in the form of a dragon…so you are the only one qualified to become a member of the Ceres clan, Hatori-kun."

Hatori grew wide-eyed at hearing that, for he had not expected it in any way. On the other hand, Yukina smiled happily, for Hatori had finally proved himself worthy even in Rutherford's uncompromising eyes.


	15. Epilogue

_The snow melted, symbolising the reuniting of Yukina and Evan Rutherford. The seahorse had grown up to become a dragon, representing the qualification for Hatori to become a member of the Ceres tribe, and enjoy an immortal life together with Yukina and Rutherford. As all of them bade goodbye to the others_ , _a black circular mark, with an intricate and complicated design appeared without anyone noticing on Hatori's back._

 _The curse was completely lifted from the Souma family, and Shigure then convinced Akito that he was the one for her, Kyou and Tohru remained a happy couple, Haru paired off with Rin, and there was a slight hint of romance between Yuki and Machi._

 _At the end, Hatori chose to leave the Earth, and follow Yukina and Rutherford to the sky, where they lived happily ever after – now the Ceres tribe had an additional member…_

Epilogue – A New Year after 30 years had passed

"Kyou-kun, Tohru-chan, who is this smiling girl in the picture?" a cute small voice shouted excitedly while pointing to a framed picture hanging on the wall.

Slowly, Tohru walked over the little girl and patted her head fondly. She looked at the picture and the memories when Yukina and Hatori were still together with them flooded back into her mind.

"She is a girl, who had an immense power, and risked her life to change all our lives to what they are now; Tori-chan…without her, all of us would not have such a happy life we have now," Tohru replied, smiling at the memories.

"She was the one who healed our minds, and made us believe in ourselves," Haru walked into the house accompanied by a smiling Rin.

"She was the one who dispersed the hatred in my heart, and made me able to truly accept the person I love into my heart," Akito and Shigure entered the house.

"She was the one who made my fear and loathing of the zodiacs disappear, and showed me the pathway to my happiness, which was just nearby," Yuki placed his arm around Machi, who leaned on to him happily.

Tori looked perplexed at this, and opened her mouth again. Just then, Kyou, Ayame, Kagura, Momiji, Hiro, Kisa, and lots of others entered the house all together.

"She is the one who we are all grateful to…" Kyou continued, and ruffled Tori's hair.

"Then, who are the two men who have their arms around her?" Tori asked innocently again, pointing at a tall man with dark olive hair, and another one with long silvery blue hair.

Sighing, Kazuma motioned for the little girl to come over, and he placed her on his lap.

"All right, many-question-squirt, I will start to tell you a story passed on in the family since my generation…"

From the sky, three people – two men and a girl looked down at the Souma house with amusement.

"Trust Kazuma-san to tell the long-winded story unwaveringly to all the descendants who looked at the picture since we left," Hatori grinned and said to Yukina.

"I guess it cannot be helped, all of them are proud of you, the seahorse who finally grew up to become a strong dragon, Hatori-kun…" Rutherford smirked.

In between her brother and her lover, Yukina smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth brought by the love they had for each other, and also the strong bond of destiny between the three of them.

 **The End**


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